COLORATION 73 



cult to see than the monocolor countershaded animal and 

 animal's head; he announces that this proves that the stripes 

 on the zebra, and the bold black and white markings on the 

 oryx head, are striking instances of concealing coloration — 

 developed by natural selection to insure the safety of the 

 animals from beasts of prey when they go to drink. 



This "experiment" has an interest of its own, it is true, 

 but only as reflecting light on the worth of all such experi- 

 ments. Mr. Thayer knows nothing whatever of the habits 

 of African game or he would not make such a contention. 

 Zebra and oryx are beasts of the open country. Neither 

 ever goes into reeds except when approaching a drinking- 

 place, and then rarely. Their habits, and the habits of 

 other plains game — hartebeests, wildebeests, eland, gazelle, 

 topi, kob, even impalla — are such that it is absolutely im- 

 possible for any hunter, beast or man, to avoid seeing them 

 when they come to water. The animals with striped bodies 

 and the animals with gray or brown countershaded bodies, 

 the animals with boldly marked heads and those with nearly 

 monochrome countershaded heads, all live under the same 

 conditions, all have precisely the same habits on approach- 

 ing drinking-places, and at such times none of them are 

 either helped or hurt by their coloration patterns. 



In fact, this particular proposition is merely advanced 

 as a phase of the theory that the coloration of the various 

 animals of the open plains, which is obviously of no use in 

 concealing them while they are feeding or resting, may be 

 of value in concealing them when they come to drink. 

 There are no facts advanced to support this theory; and, 

 on the facts actually observed, there are two conclusive 

 objections. 



