THE SECOND PROBLEM OF BIRD LIFE. 



SAFETY AND ITS RELATION* TO COLOR. 



From plain birds structuralh' alike we have become trans- 

 formed into birds of very different shapes, — long-billed and 

 short-billed, long-legged and short-legged, large and small. 

 Let us learn how the second problem of bird life, that of 

 providing for our own safety, affects us. 



We have enemies. Other creatures, which like ourselves 

 have their first problem to solve, are trying to kill us for food. 

 Some fishes will swallow us greedily when we are swimming ; 

 other birds have learned to prey on their own kind and hover 

 in air ready to swoop down upon us; snakes creep up to 

 our nests and devour us ; even large spiders will occasionally 

 terrify and capture the tiniest of us ; but most numerous and 

 most destructive are the quadrupeds of prey that hunt us 

 incessantly and with great success. How are we to get our 

 necessary food while exposed to these persecutions ? 



Our greatest security would come not from weapons but 

 from some- means of escaping observation. In the days when 

 men fought the Indians, how did they avoid being seen? 

 Partly by silent, secret habits, and partly by their suits of 

 homespun and dull colors which blended with their surround- 

 ings. The British soldier with his scarlet coat was a mark 

 that could be seen far off, and the straps crossing on his breast 

 gave the Revolutionary marksman a sure guide to his heart. 

 Many a British soldier fell because his uniform prevented 

 any concealment. The modern khaki, which has been adopted 



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