For the “timid” certainly, but for the “less highly organised” the conclusion does not seem so plain. No sight is better than a bird’s, and it is practice that makes perfect in any particular direction. Still, unless we suppose the disguise to be accidental merely—and this no one with a knowledge of the whole subject can do—the object of it seems clearly apparent, and we may, therefore, assume that, on the whole, it is successful—to the extent, at any rate, of keeping the species in existence. In such matters, however, there is nothing like practical experiments, if one has the chance of making them, as the finder of the caterpillar in question must have had, since he says, “Unfortunately I was unable to test the efficacy of the disguise, for fear of losing the larva, which I was anxious to rear for the purpose of identification.”[96] To me this appears a false judgment. Such a test would have been much more interesting, surely, especially if resulting in the way anticipated, than a dry pinned specimen and a Latin name. Another large snake-resembling caterpillar was found by Bates in the forests of Brazil, and the likeness was sufficiently striking to alarm several people to whom he showed it. But it is not necessary to go so far afield, for here in England, according to Professor Poulton, we have an excellent example of this kind of protective resemblance. This is no other than the caterpillar of the elephant hawk-moth, which by withdrawing its head into its body—just as does the Bornean species—produces a similar false face, with a pair, or, indeed, two pairs of fierce-looking eyes.[97] This caterpillar feeds on the great willow herb, and when at rest keeps amongst the dead brown leaves at the base of the stem. “As soon,” says Professor Poulton, “as the leaves are rustled by an approaching enemy, the caterpillar swiftly draws its head and the three first body-rings into the two next rings, bearing the eye-like marks. These two rings are thus swollen, and look like the head of the animal, upon which four enormous, terrible-looking eyes are prominent. The effect is greatly heightened by the suddenness of the transformation, which endows an innocent-looking and inconspicuous animal with a terrifying and serpent-like appearance.”[98]