122 AFRICAN GAME ANIMALS 



Mr. Pycraft further illustrates his point by the tapirs. 

 The young tapirs of America and Malaysia are spotted 

 and striped, while the adult Malayan tapir is boldly pied 

 black and white; and the spotted coloration of the young 

 and the pied coloration of the adult are both stated by Mr. 

 Pycraft to be *'of a highly protective character." But the 

 adult American tapirs, of several species, are of a dark 

 monochrome, which Mr. Pycraft does not claim to be pro- 

 tective, and which most concealing-colorationists treat as 

 highly advertising. The adult tapirs of the present day 

 are held to be descended from spotted and striped ancestors 

 and, therefore, to have changed their coloration. But all 

 the evidence indicates that they have not changed their sur- 

 roundings, their habitat. They dwell in forest and jungle 

 now, exactly as their striped and spotted ancestors did. 

 There has been, as far as we know, no change of environ- 

 ment to alter the survival value of the pattern. Yet it 

 has disappeared as completely as in the case of any plains- 

 dweller. The argument Mr. Pycraft makes as to the reason 

 for the disappearance of spots among the descendants of 

 forest-dwellers which now live in the open prairies does not 

 apply to, and, indeed, seems to be controverted by, the facts 

 regarding those creatures which continue to dwell in forests 

 exactly as their ancestors did; for the loss of spots seems 

 to have gone on in one set of cases much as in the other. 

 The cheetah lives on the plains, but has retained its spots; 

 the tapirs and most deer and pigs live in the forests, but have 

 lost their spots. In the case of the tapirs, the Malayan 

 animal is said to have developed a concealing coloration by 

 being given a livery of white, and blackish; yet the more 

 plentiful American tapirs have developed a uniform, solid, 



