COLORATION 55 



But full recognition of the greatness of Darwin's achieve- 

 ment does not mean our acceptance of the immense impor- 

 tance which he ascribed to natural selection in bringing about 

 evolution. Above all, it does not mean acquiescence in the 

 views of his professed followers on this matter. In England 

 and America, and largely in Germany, Darwinism has been 

 made into a fetich by most scientific men, with results 

 nearly as deadening to intellectual liberty as anything done 

 in the name of theology by the mediaeval schoolmen. In 

 consequence outsiders have had to step in to correct the 

 error of the professed scientists. The absurdity of the com- 

 placently arrogant materialism associated with the name of 

 Haeckel, the showing that this new type of dogmatic intol- 

 erance is as unscientific as it is degrading, was left to Bou- 

 troux and Bergson, philosophers so thoroughly acquainted 

 with physical science as to be able to perceive its limita- 

 tions. The curiously unscientific mysticism of the Weis- 

 mann school was also left to be exposed by men who were 

 not professional scientists. 



In this book we are dealing only with a tiny corner of 

 the field which must be covered. But even in this tiny 

 corner, what is above said applies. One of the series of 

 phenomena to which especial prominence has been given 

 in bolstering the theory of natural selection is that con- 

 nected with the coloration (and certain details of the bodily 

 form) of animals. We propose to deal with this in so far 

 as it relates to the big game of Africa, using certain other 

 animal forms for purposes of comparison and explanation. 



By Darwin natural selection was treated as the chief, 

 and by his more fanatical followers as the only, factor in 

 evolution. Most American and English scientific men have 



