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Tropical nature, and other essays

INDEX.

Reading edition

A.

Abrus precatoria, perhaps a case of mimicry, 226

Absorption-colours or pigments, 183

Acræidæ, warning colours of, 174

Adaptive characters, 150, 155

Affinities, how to determine doubtful, 148

African large mammalia, recent immigrants, 323

Allen, Mr. Grant, on protective colours of fruits, 225

Alpine flowers, why so beautiful, 232

Amboyna, large-sized butterflies of, 258

American monkeys, 118

American Continents, past history of, 332

Ancient races of North and South America, 298

Andaman Islands, pale butterflies of, 260

white-marked birds of, 263

Anderson, Mr. W. Marshall, on cranium from N. American mound, 296

Andes, very rich in humming-birds, 139

Animal colours, how produced, 184

life in tropical forests, 70

Anthribidæ, 95

Ants, wasps, and bees, 80

numbers of, in India and Malaya, 81–88

destructive to insect-specimens, 85

and vegetation, special relation between, 89

Apatura and Heterochroa, resemblance of species of, 257

Apes, 116

Aqueous vapour of atmosphere, its influence on temperature, 9

quantity at Batavia and Clifton, 10

Arctic plants, large leaves of, 236

flowers and fruits brightly coloured, 237

Areca palm, 45

Arenga saccharifera, 43

Argus-pheasant, wonderful plumage of, 205

Arums, 48

Assai of the Amazon, 43

Auckland Isles, handsome flowers of, 238

Audubon, on the ruby humming-birds, 130, 137

Australian Region, mammalia of, 340

birds of, 340

extinct fauna of, 341

its supposed union with S. America, 341

Azara, on food of humming-birds, 135

B.

Bamboos, 52

uses of, 53–58

Bananas, wild, 47

Banana, 48

Barber, Mrs. on colour changes of pupa of Papilio nireus, 168

Barbets, 105

Bark, varieties of in tropical forests, 33

Barometer, range of, at Batavia, 24

Batavia, Meteorology of, 4

and London, diagram of mean temperatures, 5

greatest rainfall at, 24

range of barometer at, 24

Bates, Mr., on climate at the Equator, 24

on scarcity of forest-flowers on Amazon, 61

on animal life in Amazon valley, 70

on abundance of butterflies at Ega, 75

on importance of study of butterflies, 78

on leaf-cutting ants, 86

on blind ants, 88

on bird-catching spider, 97

on use of toucan’s bill, 106

on large serpents, 115

on the habits of humming-birds, 132

Bats, 118

Beetles, 94

abundance of, in New Forest-clearings, 96

probable use of horns of, 202

Belt, Mr., on virgin forests of Nicaragua, 62

on aspects of tropical vegetation, 67

on leaf-cutting ants, 86

on an Acacia inhabited by ants, 89

on uses of ants to the trees they live on, 90

on a leaf-like locust, 93

on tree-frogs, 116

on the habits of humming-birds, 133, 134

on uneatable bright-coloured frog, 175

on use of light of glow-worm, 205

Betel-nut, 45

Bill of humming-birds, 129

Biology, by-paths of, illustrated, 251

Birds, 99

how many known, 124

cases of local variation of colour among, 262

influence of locality on colours of, 255

which fertilize flowers, 273, 274

and insects blown to oceanic islands, 308

of Palæarctic Region, 316

of Ethiopian Region, 318

of Oriental Region, 320

Bonelli, Mr., on the Sappho comet humming-bird, 132

Bullock on food of humming-birds, 153

Buprestidæ, 94

Burchell, Dr., on the “stone mesembryanthemum,” 223

Butterflies, abundance of, in tropical forests, 72

conspicuousness of in tropical forests, 73

colours and form of, 74

peculiar habits of tropical, 76

tropical and temperate compared as to colour, 164

females do not choose their partners, 200

with gaily-coloured females, 204

numbers and variety of, 255

influence of locality on colours of, 255

Buttressed trees, 31

C.

Calamus, 41

Callithea, imitated by species of Catagramma and Agrias, 257

Callithea markii, 75

Campylopterus hemileucurus, pugnacious and ornamental, 214

Cattleyas, 51

Cecropias, trees inhabited by ants, 89

Celebes, large and peculiarly formed butterflies of, 259

white-marked birds of, 263

Centipedes, 97

Ceylon and Malaya, resemblances of fauna of, 327

Chameleons, 113

Chameleon, cause of changes of its colour, 170

Chemical action changes colours, 183

Chili, humming-birds of, 141

Chiroptera, 119

Chrysobactron Rossii, 238

Clark, Rev. Hamlet on leaf-cutting ants, 86

Climate of Equator, general features of, 17

Climates of Timor, Angola, and Scotland compared, 14

Climbing plants of tropical forests, 37

uses of, 39

Cockatoos, 100

Cœlogynes, 51

Coloration of tropical birds, 110

Colour, cause of change of, in humming-birds, 144

Colour in nature, problems of, 159

how far constant, 161

as affected by heat and light, 161

of tropical birds, 163

of tropical butterflies, 164

of temperate and tropical flowers, 165

changes of, in animals produced by coloured light, 167

voluntary change of, in animals, 170

not usually influenced by coloured light, 171

Colour, the nature of, 180

how produced, 183

changed by heat, 183

a normal product of organization, 185

as a means of recognition, 196

proportionate to integumentary development, 198

not caused by female selection, 198

Colour absent in wind-fertilized flowers, 233

same theory of, in animals and plants, 234

of flowers and their distribution, 235

Colour, nomenclature of, formerly imperfect, 247

Colour-development as illustrated by humming-birds, 212

local causes of, 216

in animals, summary, 216

Colour-perception, supposed recent growth of, 244

Colour-sense, origin of the, 241

need for, 243

not of recent origin, 246

not wholly explicable, 248

Colours, classification of organic, 172

protective, 172

warning, 174

sexual, 177

typical, 179

of animals, how produced, 184

theory of protective, 187

theory of warning, 189

theory of sexual, 192

theory of typical, 215

Colours and ornaments of humming-birds, 127

Colours of fruits, attractive, 224

protective, 225

Colours, which first perceived, 243

Cometes sparganurus, very pugnacious, 214

Compositæ, arborescent in oceanic islands, 276

Continent, past changes of the great Eastern, 321

Continents of Tertiary period, probable aspect of, 343

Copridæ, 95

probable use of horns of, 202

Crematogaster, genus of ants, 83

Cross-fertilization of flowers, use of, 228

complex arrangements for, 229

Cuckoos, 104

D.

Danaidæ, warning colours of, 174

Danainæ, Acræinæ and Heliconiinæ, local resemblances of, 256

Daphne pontica, 230

Darwin, Mr., on mode of cross-fertilization and its use, 228

not too highly rated, 252

on vegetation of Galapagos, 272

on use of scented leaves, 277

on former union of West Indian islands and S. America, 306

on oceanic islands, 307

revolution in thought effected by, 284

Deserts on line of tropics, 28

Desmoncus, 41

De Vry, Mr., on the sugar-palm, 43

Dews, cause of heavy tropical, 10

Diagram of mean temperature at Batavia and London, 5

of rainfall at Batavia and London, 15

Dianthus alpinus, D. glacialis, 232

Distribution of humming-birds, 138

Dragons or flying-lizards, 113

Drugs from equatorial forest-trees, 36

Duke-of-York Island, pale-coloured insects of, 259

Islands, remarkable white plumaged birds of, 263

Dyes from equatorial forest-trees, 36

Dynastidæ, 95

probable use of horns of, 202

E.

Earl, Mr. George Windsor, on division of Malay Archipelago, 307

Earth-sculpture or surface-geology, 250

Earthworks, North American, 292

Easter Island, sculptures on, 291

Eciton, genus of foraging ants, 87

Elateridæ, luminous species perhaps mimetic, 205

Emperor-moth, protective coloration of, 174

Environment, relation of living things to, 254

Epicalia, sexes of, differently coloured, 178

Epilobium angustifolium, E. parviflorum, 233

Epimachinæ, 150

Equator, cause of uniform high temperature near, 6

short twilight at, 21

Equatorial climate, general features of, 17

uniformity of in all parts of the world, 18

local diversities of, 19

Equatorial forests, general features of, 29

Equatorial forest-belt, cause of, 27

Equatorial heavens, aspect of, 23

Equatorial zone, temperature of, 3

Ethiopian Region, 317

Eugenes fulgens, 134

Eunica and Siderone, resemblance of species of, 257

Euplœa, pale species of, in Moluccas and New Guinea, 258

Euro-Asiatic continent, Miocene fauna of, 323

Eustephanus, 141

Eustephanus galeritus, 143

Euterpe oleracea, 43

Evaporation and condensation, equalising effects of, 16

F.

Female birds, greater brilliancy of some, 211

Female insects, greater brilliancy of some, 203

Ferns, 46

Ferns, preponderance of in Tahiti and Juan Fernandez, 269, 270

Fiji Islands, pale butterflies of, 259

Fire-ants, 83

Fishes, causes of general coloration of, 171

Flowering trunks, probable cause of, 34

Flowers, comparative scarcity of in equatorial forests, 60

Flowers and insects, 64

Flowers of temperate zones brilliantly coloured, 165

comparatively scarce in tropical forests, 167

Flowers, attractive colours of, 228

fertilized by insects, 228

attractive odours of, 230

when sweet-scented not conspicuously coloured, 230

attractive grouping of, 231

alpine, why so beautiful, 232

why allied species differ in beauty, 233

when wind-fertilized not coloured, 233

relation of colours of, to distribution, 235

and fruits, recent views as to action of light on, 236

Flowers of Auckland and Campbell’s Isles, bright-coloured, 238

Flying-lizards, 113

Foliage, two chief types of, in tropical forests, 33

colours of, 221

Foot of savages does not approach that of apes, 289 (note)

Forest-belt, cause of equatorial, 27

Forest-belts, temperate, 29

Forest-tree, section of a Bornean, 32

formed from climbers, 32

Forest-trees, characteristics of, 30

Forest-trees of low growth, 34

Forest-trees, uses of equatorial, 35

Forests, effect of on rainfall and drought, 19

devastation caused by destruction of, 20

equatorial, 29

undergrowth of tropical, 34

Formica gigas, 81

Foxes, none in Isle of Wight in 1605, 305

Frogs and toads, 116

Frog, with bright colours uneatable, 175

Frogs of oceanic islands, 309

Fruit-bats, 119

Fruits of equatorial forest-trees, 36

Fruits, attractive colours of, 224

protective colours of, 225

greater antiquity of protected than attractive, 227

G.

Galapagos, colours of productions of, 163

poor in flowers and insects, 235

weedy vegetation of, 272

Gardner, Dr., on a large water-boa, 115

Geckos, 112

Geiger, on ancient perception of colour, 245

Geranium pratense, G. pusillum, 233

Gibbons, 116

Ginger-worts, 47

Gladstone, Mr., on the colour-sense, 245

Glow-worm, use of its light, 205

Goliath cuckoo, 105

Gosse, Mr., on Jamaica humming-birds, 132, 135

on the pugnacity of humming-birds, 134

on food of humming-birds, 137

Gould, Mr., on the motions of humming-birds, 131

Grammatophyllums, 51

Green, why the most agreeable colour, 244

Grisebach, on cause of vivid colours of arctic flowers, 237

Guilielma speciosa, 42

Gums from equatorial forest-trees, 36

H.

Habenaria chlorantha, 230

Habits of humming-birds, 130

Heat due to condensation of atmospheric vapour, 14

changes colours, 183

Heliconiinæ and Acræinæ, local resemblances of, 256

Hindostan and Africa, resemblances of fauna of, 328

Hooker, Sir J. on flowers of Auckland Isles, 238

on deficient odour of New Zealand flowers, 277

Hornbills, 107

Horns of beetles, probable use of, 202

Howling-monkeys, 118

Humming-birds, number of, 124, 133

distinctness of, 125, 129

structure of, 125

colours and ornaments of, 127

descriptive names of, 129

motions and habits of, 130

display of ornaments by males, 134

food of, 135

nests of, 137

geographical distribution and variation of, 138

of Juan Fernandez, 140

influenced by varied conditions in South America, 147

relations and affinities of, 148

sternum of, 151

eggs of, 152

feather-tracts of, 152

resemblance of swifts to, 152

nestlings of, 153

differences from sun-birds, 154

I.

Iguanas, 113

Indian peninsula once an island, 325

ancient fauna of, 325

Insects, wingless, 97

general observations on tropical, 98

Insular plants and insects, relations of, 267

Interference-colours in animals, 184

Islands, influence of locality on colour in, 257

J.

Jacamars, 105

Juan Fernandez, humming-birds of, 140

insects of, 270

abundance of humming-birds in, 273

L.

Land and sea, peculiar distribution of, 311

existing distribution of, very ancient, 312

Leaf-insects, 92

Leaves, supposed use of odours of, 277

Lemuria, an hypothetical continent, not required, 328

Leopoldinia major, 45

Lepidoptera, diurnal, 72

Leptalis, a good case of mimicry, 189

Leptena erastus, 256

Light, theory of, as producing colours, 161

action of, on plants, 222

supposed direct action of, on colours of flowers and fruits, 236

Lizards, 111

Local causes of colour-development, 216

Locusts, richly-coloured tropical, 94

Longicorns, 95

Lophornis ornatus, very pugnacious, 214

Lord Howe’s Island, white rail in, 264

Lubbock, Sir John, on colour-perception in insects, 255

M.

Macaws, 100

Madagascar, white-marked butterflies of, 260

Madagascar once united to Africa, 325

Madagascar and Malaya, resemblances of fauna of, 328

Male birds, origin of ornamental plumage of, 205

Male birds which incubate, 212

Male humming-birds produce a shriller sound, 215

Males, theory of display of ornaments by, 207

Malva sylvestris, M. rotundifolia, 233

Mammals, 116

Mammalia, supposed variations of, comparable to those of butterflies, 261

local resemblances of, in Africa, 262

Mammalia of Palæarctic Region, 315

of Ethiopian Region, 317

of Oriental Region, 319

of Miocene period in Euro-Asia, 321

Man, antiquity and origin of, 280

indications of extreme antiquity of, 285

highly developed at very early period, 286

antiquity of intellectual, 290

Mangroves, 58

Manicaria saccifera, 41

Mantidæ, 91

Mantis resembling an orchis-flower, 173

Marantaceæ, 47

Marmosets, 118

Marshall, Messrs. on barbets, 106

Martins, M. Charles, on increased size of leaves of arctic plants, 236

Mates readily found by birds, 200

Mauritia, palm, 40

Maximiliana regia, 41

Meiglyptes, 150

Meldola, Mr. R., on variable colouring in insects, 170

Meliphagidæ in Auckland Isles probably flower-fertilizers, 239

Melliss, Mr., on flora of St. Helena, 275

Migrations between N. America and Euro-Asia, 334

between N. America and South America, 335

Mesembryanthemum, stone, 223

Meteorological phenomena, intensity of, at the equator, 23

Mimicry, theory of, 189

Mimosa pudica, 59

Mivart, Professor, on animal origin of man, 284

on the divergent affinities of man and apes, 288

Mongredien, Mr., on showy and fragrant flowers, 230

Monkeys, 116

Monkeys and pigeons, 102

Moseley, Mr., on humming-birds of Juan Fernandez, 143

Moseley, Mr. H. N., on birds conveying seeds to islands, 268

Moths, conspicuously-coloured caterpillars of, uneatable, 175

Motmots, 105

Mott, Mr. Albert, on antiquity of intellectual man, 291

Mounds of N. America, antiquity of, 296

Mound-builders, a semi-civilized race, 297

Müller, Dr. Hermann, on fertilization of alpine flowers, 232

on fertilization of Martagon lily, 231

on variations of insect-fertilized flowers, 275

on differences of allied species of flowers, 233

Musa paradisiaca, 48

Musaceæ, 48

Mygale, a bird-catching spider, 97

Mysis chameleon, changes of colour of, 171

N.

Nearctic Region, mammalia of, 329

birds of, 330

Neotropical region, mammalia of, 331

birds of, 332

Nests of humming-birds, 137

Newton, Professor, on appearance of living humming-birds, 130

New Zealand, poor in flowers and insects, 235

New World, regions of the, 329

North American earthworks, 292

Nuttall, Mr., on the rufous flame-bearer, 131

Nymphalidæ, local resemblances of species of distinct genera of, 257

O.

Oceanic Islands, peculiar floras of, 269

theory of, 307

Odontomachus, genus of ants, 82

Odour deficient in New Zealand flowers, 277

Odours absorbed unequally by differently coloured stuffs, 266

of flowers attractive, 230

Œcodoma cephalotes, 85

Œcophylla smaragdina, 82

Ogle, Dr., on colour and sense-perception, 265

Oil from palms, 45

Oncidiums, 51

Optical theory of colour, 180

Orchids, 49

Oriental Region, 319

Ornamental humming-birds, the most pugnacious, 214

Ornaments, display of, by male humming-birds, 134

Orthoptera, 91

P.

Palæarctic Region, 314

Palms, 40

height of, 41

climbing, 41

Palm-wine, 43

Palm-trees, uses and products of, 42–46

Pandanaceæ, 49

Papilio, pale varieties of, in Moluccas and New Guinea, 258

Papilionidæ and Nymphalidæ, local resemblances of, 255

Papilio nireus, changes of colour of pupa of, 168

Parrots, 99

red in Moluccas and New Guinea, 264

black in New Guinea and Madagascar, 264

Passeres, 108

Phyllostoma, 120

Phasmidæ, 91–93

Phœnix sylvestris, 45

Phaëthornithinæ, 136

Pheasants, brilliant plumage of, in cold countries, 163

Pheidole, genus of ants, 84

Philippine Islands, metallic colours of butterflies of, 259

white-marked birds of, 263

Picariæ, 103

Pickering, Mr., on plants of Pacific Islands, 269

Pieridæ and Lycænidæ, local resemblances of, 256

Pigeons, 102

black in Australia and Madagascar, 264

Pigs, white poisoned in Virginia, black not, 265

Pipes from N. American mounds, 295

Plantain, 48

Plantain-eaters, 197

Plants, protective coloration in, 223

Platycerium, 47

Plumage of tropical birds, 109

of humming-birds, 128

Polyrachis, genus of ants, 81

Polyalthea, tree with flowers on trunk, 35

Polygonum bistorta, P. aviculare, 233

Pontia rapæ, changes of colour of chrysalis of, 168

Ponera clavata, terrible sting of, 82

Portraits on sculptured pipes from mounds, 295

Prosthemadera in the Auckland Isles, 239

Protective colours, theory of, 187

Psittacula diopthalma, sexual difference of colour of, 178

Pterylography, 151

Pyramid, the Great, 298

the Great, indicates an earlier civilization, 300

Pythons, 115

R.

Rabbits, why white-tailed, 197

Rainbow, how described by ancient writers, 245

Rainfall at London and Batavia, diagram of, 15

Rainfall, greatest recorded at Batavia, 24

Ramsay, Prof. on ancient fresh-water deposits, 313

Raphia tædigera, 41

Rattan-palms, 42

Recognition aided by colour, 196

Reed, Mr., on humming-birds in Juan Fernandez, 146

Mr. Edwyn C., on insects of Juan Fernandez, 270

Reptiles, 111

Reptiles of oceanic islands, 309

Rhamphococcyx, 105

S.

Salvin, Mr., on the pugnacity of humming-birds, 134, 214

Saüba ant, 85

Saxifraga longifolia, 233

S. cotyledon, 233

S. oppositifolia, 233

Scorpions, 97

Screw-pines, 49

Scythrops, 105

Seeds, how protected, 226

Sensitive-plants, 59

Sexes of butterflies differently coloured for recognition, 196

Sexual colours, 177

theory of, 192

Sexual selection not a cause of colour, 198

neutralized by natural selection, 210

Sickle-bill humming-bird, 136

Size, correspondence of, in tropical flowers and insects, 236

Sky, colour of not mentioned in old books, 245

Smith, Mr. Worthington, on mimicry in fungi, 223

Smyth, Professor Piazzi, on the Great Pyramid, 298

Snakes, 114

Sobralias, 51

Soil, heat of, 8

influence of temperature on climate, 8

Solenopsis, genus of ants, 84

Sorby, Mr., on composition of chlorophyll, 221

South America, extinct fauna of, 336

geographical changes of, 338

its parallelism with Africa, 339

an area of preservation of ancient types, 339

Spices from equatorial forest-trees, 36

Spiders, 97

Spruce, Dr. Richard, on number of ferns at Tarrapoto, 47

on inconspicuousness of tropical flowers, 61

on use of aromatic secretions of leaves, 278

Stainton, Mr., on insects attacking scented leaves, 277

Stick-insects, 92

St. Helena, indigenous flowers of, 275

St. John, Mr., on large python, 115

Structure of humming-birds, 125

Sugar from palm-trees, 44

Sunda Islands and Japan once joined to Asia, 326

Sun-birds, differences from humming-birds, 154

Sun’s noonday altitude in Java and London compared, 6

Sun’s rays, heating effect of, 7

Sunrise in the equatorial zone, 22

Swifts, resemblances of to humming-birds, 152

Symmachia trochilus, 75

colubris, 75

T.

Tahiti, preponderance of ferns in, 269

Temperature of London and Batavia compared, 6

of different latitudes, various causes of, 7

Temperature, influenced by heat of soil, 8

influenced by aqueous vapour of atmosphere, 9

Temperature of tropical and temperate zones, cause of, illustrated, 12

Tertiary faunas and their relations, 344, 347

Thaumastura cora, very pugnacious, 214

Timor and Scotland, climates compared, 14

Timor and Flores, white-marked birds of, 263

Toucans, 106

Tree-frogs, 116

Tristan d’Acunha, bright-coloured Pelargonium of, 275

Trochilidæ, 125

Trogons, 105

Tropical vegetation, concluding remarks on, 65

probable causes of its luxuriance and variety, 66

Mr. Belt on, 67

Tropical birds, dull-coloured, 110

coloration of, 110

green, 110

Tropics, limitation of, 3

aspects of animal life in, 121

Trunks, variety of, 31, 33

probable cause of flowering, 34

Twilight, short at equator, 21

Typical colours, 179

V.

Vanda lowii, 51

Vampyre-bats, 119

Variation, how influenced, 142

Vegetation, equatorial, 27

Vipers, green, 114

Vitality a cause of bright colour, 193

W.

Warning Colours, theory of, 189

Wasps and bees, 90

Wave-lengths of coloured rays, 180

Weale, Mr. J. P. Mansel, on plants of Karoo, 223

on Ajuga ophrydis, 223

Webber, Mr., on food of humming-birds, 137

West-Indian Islands, large and brilliant butterflies of, 261

peculiarly coloured birds of, 262

Whip-snakes, 114

White animals poisoned where black escape, 265

White colours influencing sense-perception, 265

White colour doubly prejudicial to animals, 266

White tropical birds, 110

Wilson, Dr., on pottery from N. American mounds, 295

Winds, influence of on temperature, 11

direction of near equator, 11, 12

cause of cold near equator, 12, 13

Wolves in England show its union with continent, 305

Woods from equatorial forest-trees, 36

Z.

Zebra, possible use of its stripes, 197

Zingiberaceæ, 47

Zoological regions, 314

Zoological regions of the New World, 329

LONDON: R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, BREAD STREET HILL.

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