488 



SOCIAL LIFE OF ANIMALS 



regions we find that the body Is darker on the parts ordinarily Il- 

 luminated by the sun and sky, while the most shaded parts are 

 usually lighter In color.^ In the tiger and the zebra the colors are 

 broken by lines and the animal blends with Its background. During 

 the World War, battleships were wonderfully camouflaged by lines 

 and patches of alternating light and dark color. 



Fig. 257. Young fawn in mountain laurel, Monongahela National Forest, W. Va. 

 (Photo courtesy of U. S. Forest Service.) 



Thayer has pointed out that even In the case of some animals 

 that are quite conspicuous to man and seem to stand out against the 

 sky, we must remember that the chief enemies of the forms under 

 consideration are not tall animals. He once convinced a group of 

 zoologists at Woods Hole, Mass., In a striking manner, by having 

 them crawl around in the grass, gazing up at life-size card-board 

 figures of deer. 



^ Wild cats are striped on the ventral side and hence almost invisible in the trees 

 (W. R. B. Robertson). 



