CONSCIOUS PROTECTIVE RESEMBLANCE. 548 
could become habitual without a suitable environment. I flushed a 
pair of Francolinus subtorquatus, one of which squatted in the same 
manner, but, by force of circumstances, among the short, black and 
charred remains of a grass fire. Here its colour stood out in bold 
relief, and I easily bagged it’’ (Zool. 1899, p. 545, note). I have on 
several occasions observed a similar behaviour on the part of this same 
bird in Mashonaland ; and, indeed, the blackening of the veldt by grass 
fires not unfrequently gives one opportunities of realising that at least 
some protectively coloured animals have no mental appreciation what- 
ever of the real relation between their own colouring and that of their 
environment. 
There are few birds in this country which show a stronger apparent 
reliance on their protective colouring than the little Rufous-capped 
Lark (Tephrocorys cinerea) or the Cape Long-claw (Macronya capensis) ; 
they will readily permit one to approach within a few yards of them, 
and will then merely run on ahead in their curious, crouching, rat-like 
manner. This action is certainly of considerable protective value in 
their ordinary surroundings, but they will do precisely the same on 
the open ‘burns,’ where it must be rather detrimental than other- 
wise. Did they really comprehend the contrast exhibited by their 
plumage in such spots, they would assuredly escape by flight instead 
of by running. Not long ago I noticed a similar case on the part of 
our common Side-striped Jackal (Canis lateralis). While travelling on 
a post-cart we passed a fire burning not far from the road, and strongly 
outlined against the burnt grass we saw the forms of two Jackals. 
They were a little distance apart, one sitting on its haunches, the 
other standing, and they were evidently watching for the rats, young 
birds, &c., which the fire would disturb. At our approach they merely 
looked round at us without concern, and so, without stopping the cart, 
one of my companions tried a shot with his rifle. The bullet whizzed 
close over the head of the standing animal, which promptly bounded 
into the long, unburnt grass; the other, however, which had only 
heard the report without feeling the shock of the bullet, merely 
crouched to the ground, when it was quite as conspicuous as before, 
and did not move until a second bullet knocked up the dust close by 
its side. I have further seen an identical instance of the misapplica- 
tion of the protective crouching instinct on the part of the Aard Wolf 
( Proteles cristatus) in Natal; and, doubtless, such observations could be 
multiplied were special attention paid to them. 
Anyone who has had many opportunities of observing animals must 
have been struck by the fact that even though they may possess a con- 
siderable amount of intelligence, this is curiously limited in many 
