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CHAPTER XI.. Insects, Continued. Order Lepidoptera. (butterflies and Moths.)

The Descent of Man · Charles Darwin — chapter 10 of 43 · ~74 words · public domain

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INSECTS, continued. ORDER LEPIDOPTERA. (BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS.) Courtship of Butterflies—Battles—Ticking noise—Colours common to both sexes, or more brilliant in the males—Examples—Not due to the direct action of the conditions of life—Colours adapted for protection—Colours of moths—Display—Perceptive powers of the Lepidoptera—Variability—Causes of the difference in colour between the males and females—Mimicry, female butterflies more brilliantly coloured than the males—Bright colours of caterpillars—Summary and concluding remarks on the secondary sexual character of insects—Birds and insects compared.

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