86 ANIMAL COLORATION. 



remarks (vol. ii., p. 151): "It may be readily imagined 

 that, owing to the great height of this animal, it can be 

 distinguished from a distance, and does not require an 

 elaborate search ; nevertheless it is exceedingly deceptive in 

 appearance when found amoug its native forests. The red- 

 barked mimosa, which is its favourite food, seldom grows 

 higher than fourteen or fifteen feet. Many woods are almost 

 entirely composed of these trees, upon the flat heads of which 

 the giraffe can feed when looking downwards. I have fre- 

 quently been mistaken when remarking some particular dead 

 tree stem at a distance, that appeared like a decayed relic of 

 the forest, until, upon nearer approach, I have been struck by 

 the peculiar inclination of the trunk : suddenly it has started 

 into movement and disappeared." 



The sloth, when suspended from the branch of a tree, has 

 been compared to a broken stump clothed with long, tangled 

 lichens, and an oval mark upon the back is said to produce the 

 impression of the broken end of the stump. 



Mr. W. H. Hudson has described a South American bittern,, 

 which affords an excellent instance of the advantages which 

 result from a protective coloration. This bittern, when dis- 

 turbed, flies among the reeds, and suddenly disappears from 

 view by clinging to a tall reed, which its colour, and even 

 shape, cause it to resemble very closely so closely that Mr. 

 Hudson was frequently deceived, and passed by. 



The curious resemblance which flowers, particularly those 

 of orchids, bear to insects is possibly of no more importance 

 to the flower than is its fanciful resemblance to a lamb to the 

 plant Aspiclium Barometz; legends state that wolves have a 

 peculiar liking for this plant. 



The Butterfly Orchis and the Bee Orchis are well-known 

 examples of what is probably a mere " freak of nature." On 



