COLORATION 143 



a survival factor, detrimental to the animal's existence, and 

 has had to be partially neutralized by the development of a 

 well-nigh unique bodily habit. Equally, of course, the neu- 

 tralization is only partial, and apparently the animal would 

 have been far better protected against owls and other foes 

 If It had never developed a coloration which needed such 

 elaborate neutralization. Owls are birds of noiseless flight, 

 and in the vast majority of cases they must pounce on the 

 little skunk before It has any warning of their presence; 

 surely It would be far better protected if it did not have to 

 wait until it believed It was about to be attacked before 

 losing its advertising coloration. An animal like a badger, 

 which does not first advertise itself and then. If advised of 

 an emergency, neutralize the advertisement ( I do not mean 

 voluntarily In either case) must be in better shape than one 

 with the complicated characteristics and needs of the 

 spllogale. 



Among birds there are many thousands of species, Includ- 

 ing whole orders and families, where the coloration Is usually 

 highly advertising, and where, nevertheless, those having 

 such a coloration and those, fewer in number, with a con- 

 cealing coloration have precisely the same habits and suc- 

 cess In life; so that in these cases it is evident that the 

 coloration is in no sense a survival factor, and has been pro- 

 duced without regard to natural selection. The young of 

 many of these species, cormorants, pelicans, and egrets, for 

 instance, are as advertisingly colored as the adults. But 

 there are a few species in which the coloration Is seemingly 

 a survival factor as regards the adults of both sexes, and 

 there are very many species in which It is seemingly a survi- 

 val factor as regards the young, often as regards the adult 



