﻿THE 
  NATURAL-HISTORY 
  BACKGROUND 
  

   OF 
  CAMOUFLAGE 
  > 
  

  

  By 
  Herbebt 
  Fkiedmann 
  

   Curator, 
  Division 
  of 
  Birds, 
  U. 
  8. 
  National 
  Museum 
  

  

  [With 
  16 
  plates] 
  

   INTRODUCTION 
  

  

  If 
  we 
  look 
  up 
  the 
  word 
  "camouflage" 
  in 
  a 
  standard 
  dictionary, 
  we 
  

   find 
  it 
  defined 
  as 
  concealment 
  by 
  disguise. 
  The 
  disguise 
  may 
  be 
  of 
  

   such 
  a 
  nature 
  as 
  actually 
  to 
  simulate 
  the 
  immediate 
  background 
  or 
  

   merely 
  to 
  break 
  up 
  the 
  outline 
  or 
  reduce 
  the 
  visible 
  solidity 
  of 
  the 
  

   object 
  camouflaged. 
  When 
  man 
  tries 
  to 
  camouflage 
  an 
  object, 
  he 
  is 
  

   literally 
  disguising 
  it; 
  in 
  nature 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  the 
  "disguise" 
  is 
  

   the 
  normal 
  coloration 
  and 
  is 
  so 
  termed 
  because 
  it 
  has 
  the 
  effect, 
  without 
  

   effort, 
  that 
  man 
  consciously 
  aims 
  for 
  in 
  his 
  attempts. 
  Although 
  the 
  

   word 
  "camouflage" 
  did 
  not 
  come 
  into 
  common 
  usage 
  until 
  the 
  time 
  

   of 
  the 
  last 
  war, 
  the 
  application 
  by 
  man 
  of 
  the 
  ideas 
  involved 
  dates 
  far 
  

   back 
  into 
  antiquity. 
  Based 
  originally 
  upon 
  his 
  observation 
  of 
  its 
  

   occurrence 
  in 
  nature 
  and 
  its 
  relative 
  effectiveness 
  under 
  varying 
  cir- 
  

   cumstances, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  adapted 
  by 
  man 
  to 
  his 
  own 
  purposes. 
  So 
  far, 
  

   these 
  purposes 
  have 
  been 
  chiefly 
  related 
  to 
  warfare, 
  although, 
  to 
  a 
  

   lesser 
  extent 
  in 
  civilized 
  societies 
  and 
  to 
  a 
  somewhat 
  greater 
  one 
  in 
  

   primitive 
  peoples, 
  camouflage 
  has 
  been 
  applied 
  to 
  such 
  activities 
  as 
  

   hunting 
  and 
  fishing 
  as 
  well. 
  

  

  The 
  essential 
  elements 
  involved 
  in 
  camouflage 
  are 
  those 
  of 
  conceal- 
  

   ment 
  and 
  surprise. 
  Concealment, 
  to 
  use 
  military 
  adjectives, 
  may 
  be 
  

   either 
  defensive 
  or 
  offensive 
  (i. 
  e., 
  the 
  value 
  may 
  be 
  to 
  render 
  a 
  pro- 
  

   spective 
  victim 
  safe 
  by 
  its 
  invisibility 
  to 
  a 
  predaceous 
  enemy, 
  or 
  it 
  

   may 
  render 
  the 
  marauder 
  invisible 
  from, 
  and 
  thereby 
  help 
  it 
  to 
  cap- 
  

   ture, 
  its 
  intended 
  quarry) 
  . 
  Most 
  wild 
  creatures 
  live 
  in 
  constant 
  danger 
  

   from 
  enemies 
  or 
  are 
  themselves 
  ever 
  on 
  the 
  alert 
  for 
  prospective 
  prey. 
  

   They 
  do 
  not 
  know 
  the 
  comparative 
  peace 
  and 
  security 
  of 
  our 
  peacetime 
  

   civilized 
  lives. 
  It 
  is, 
  therefore, 
  not 
  surprising 
  to 
  find 
  animals 
  of 
  all 
  

   sorts 
  exhibiting 
  countless 
  types 
  and 
  degrees 
  and 
  variations 
  of 
  such 
  

  

  1 
  Reprinted 
  from 
  Smithsonian 
  War 
  Background 
  Studies, 
  No. 
  5, 
  Publ. 
  3700, 
  December 
  

   11, 
  1942. 
  

  

  259 
  

  

  