Contributions to the Theory of Natural Selection: A Series of EssaysWallace, Alfred Russel
Science
Contributions to the Theory of Natural Selection: A Series of Essays
Wallace, Alfred Russel
Natural selection
But, more remarkable still, there is in South America a third group of
snakes, the genus Oxyrhopus, doubtfully venomous, and having no
immediate affinity with either of the preceding, which has also the same
curious distribution of colours, namely, variously disposed rings of
red, yellow, and black; and there are some cases in which species of all
three of these groups similarly marked inhabit the same district. For
example, Elaps mipartitus has single black rings very close together. It
inhabits the west side of the Andes, and in the same districts occur
Pliocerus euryzonus and Oxyrhopus petolarius, which exactly copy its
pattern. In Brazil Elaps lemniscatus is copied by Oxyrhopus trigeminus,
both having black rings disposed in threes. In Elaps hemiprichii the
ground colour appears to be black, with alternations of two narrow
yellow bands and a broader red one; and of this pattern again we have an
exact double in Oxyrhopus formosus, both being found in many localities
of tropical South America.
What adds much to the extraordinary character of these resemblances is
the fact, that nowhere in the world but in America are there any snakes
at all which have this style of colouring. Dr. Gunther, of the British
Museum, who has kindly furnished some of the details here referred to,
assures me that this is the case; and that red, black, and yellow rings
occur together on no other snakes in the world but on Elaps and the
species which so closely resemble it. In all these cases, the size and
form as well as the colouration, are so much alike, that none but a
naturalist would distinguish the harmless from the poisonous species.
Many of the small tree-frogs are no doubt also mimickers. When seen in
their natural attitudes, I have been often unable to distinguish them
from beetles or other insects sitting upon leaves, but regret to say I
neglected to observe what species or groups they most resembled, and the
subject does not yet seem to have attracted the attention of naturalists
abroad.
_Mimicry among Birds._
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