Chap. XVIII. Mammals — Spots and Stripes. 



545 



The same conclusion may perhaps be extended to the tiger, one 

 of the most beautiful animals in the world, the sexes of which 

 cannot be distinguished by colour, even by the dealers in wild 

 beasts. Mr. Wallace believes 39 that the striped coat of the tiger 

 (l so assimilates with the vertical stems of the bamboo, as to 

 " assist greatly in concealing him from his approaching prey." 

 But this view does not appear to me satisfactory. We have 

 some slight evidence that his beauty may be due to sexual 



Fig. tL Damalis pygarga, male (from the Knowsley Menagerie). 



selection, for in two species of Felis the analogous marks and 

 colours are rather brighter in the male than in the female. The 

 zebra is conspicuously striped, and stripes cannot afford any 

 protection on the open plains of South Africa. Burchell 40 in de- 

 scribing a herd says, " their sleek ribs glistened in the sun, and 

 " the brightness and regularity of their striped coats presented a 

 " picture of extraordinary beauty, in which probably they are 



SD ' Westminster Review,' July 1, « 'Travels in South Africa,' 1824. 



1837, p. 5. vol. ii. p. 315. 



