6 
570 Professor E. B. Poulton on Mr. Thayer's 
XXVIII. A brief discussion of A. H. Thayer's suggestions as 
to the meaning of colour and pattern in «insect 
bionomics. By PROFESSOR EDWARD B. PouLtTon, 
M.A., D.Sc., F.BS., ete. as 
[Read October 21st, 1903.] 
THE discoverer of the meaning of the white under-sides of 
animals is entitled to a respectful hearing on any question 
of animal coloration. Furthermore, by his discovery, he 
has proved the benefits which the artist can confer on the 
naturalist, benefits which we naturalists are only too 
pleased to receive with gratitude. Our only difficulty is 
that so few artists seem disposed to consider our problems 
seriously. In order to be able to do so they must become, 
at least in spirit, naturalists as well as artists. The more 
numerous the men of creative power who can occupy, as 
Mr. Thayer does, the double standpoint, the better it will 
be for both domains. I therefore express my cordial 
agreement with Mr. Thayer’s claim for the artist. I now 
propose to make a few comments upon the details of his 
interesting paper. 
Every naturalist will agree that “any coloration or 
pattern would be conspicuous somewhere.” We have often 
called attention to the fact that colour, pattern, shape, 
and attitude can only be understood in the natural environ- 
ment. In fact, Mr. Thayer’s own suggestions are, I think, 
most open to criticism when he is speaking of animals in 
countries he has not visited; when, for instance, he sug- 
gests the kind of concealment brought about by the stripes 
of the zebra. The lion is the zebra’s great enemy, and in 
spite of their very different kind of colouring they are both 
adapted to the same general environment. The propor- 
tion of dark and light stripes, Francis Galton told us long 
ago, “is such as exactly to match the pale tint which arid 
ground possesses when seen by moonlight.” So too the 
suggestion that the groups of similar South American 
butterflies have gained their resemblance by a common 
(syncryptic) likeness to some flower which they chiefly 
frequent would be more plausible if Mr. Thayer had 
studied them in their native haunts. I have asked Mr. 
