CHAPTER I

NOTES ON THE QUESTIONS OF PROTECTIVE COLORATION, RECOGNITION MARKS, AND THE INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENT ON LIVING ORGANISMS

Harmony of colour in nature--Theory of protective coloration--Sexual selection--Conspicuous colours not harmful--The influence of environment--The leucoryx--The Barbary sheep--The Sardinian moufflon--African butterflies--Coloration of the musk ox and caribou--Arctic hares and foxes--Coloration of mammals in the Yukon Territory--The chamois in winter--Examples of conspicuous coloration in African mammals--Colour not always protective--Carnivorous animals usually hunt by scent--Wild dogs and wolves--Wild dog and sable antelope--Sense of smell in herbivorous animals--Sight of antelopes--Experience with waterbuck--Dull sight of caribou--Demeanour of wild animals when alarmed--Small antelopes--Lions--Large antelopes--Difficulty of seeing wild animals sometimes exaggerated--Powers of sight of Bushmen--Colour not protective against animals which hunt by night and by scent--Animals in motion easy to see--Restlessness of wild animals--Lions attacking bullocks--Zebras the principal prey of lions since the disappearance of buffaloes--Appearance of zebras--Undoubtedly conspicuous animals in open country--Zebras by moonlight--Strong smell of zebras--Conspicuous antelopes in East Africa--Effect of the juxtaposition of black and white--Bold coloration of the sable antelope Pages 1-23