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  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  194 
  3 
  

  

  concealing 
  adaptations 
  as 
  are 
  implied 
  by 
  the 
  term 
  "camouflage." 
  One 
  

   of 
  the 
  fundamental 
  factors 
  in 
  the 
  lives 
  of 
  wild 
  creatures 
  is 
  the 
  combat 
  

   between 
  species 
  (for 
  food 
  primarily, 
  one 
  feeding 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  or 
  

   competing 
  with 
  it 
  for 
  a 
  common 
  food 
  supply) 
  , 
  generally 
  referred 
  to 
  as 
  

   the 
  struggle 
  for 
  existence. 
  The 
  problem 
  of 
  self-preservation 
  in 
  nature 
  

   is 
  very 
  real, 
  ever 
  present, 
  and 
  often 
  so 
  difficult 
  to 
  cope 
  with 
  that 
  some 
  

   species 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  numerically 
  limited 
  by 
  it 
  to 
  a 
  very 
  marked 
  degree. 
  

   As 
  has 
  been 
  emphasized 
  recently 
  by 
  Cott 
  (the 
  Koyal 
  Engineer's 
  Jour- 
  

   nal, 
  vol. 
  52, 
  p. 
  502, 
  1938) 
  , 
  the 
  vital— 
  

  

  * 
  * 
  * 
  urgent 
  nature 
  of 
  this 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  problem 
  of 
  self-preservation 
  is 
  re- 
  

   flected 
  in 
  the 
  variety 
  and 
  specialization 
  of 
  Nature's 
  adaptive 
  experiments 
  in 
  

   offence 
  and 
  defence. 
  For 
  instance, 
  we 
  see 
  evidence 
  for 
  this 
  in 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  speed, 
  

   on 
  land, 
  in 
  the 
  air, 
  and 
  under 
  water, 
  by 
  pursuer 
  and 
  pursued 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  stealth 
  

   and 
  surprise, 
  of 
  deception 
  and 
  ambush; 
  in 
  the 
  display 
  of 
  warning 
  signals, 
  or 
  

   of 
  alluring 
  baits; 
  in 
  the 
  elaboration 
  of 
  smoke 
  screens, 
  traps, 
  nets, 
  and 
  para- 
  

   chutes; 
  in 
  retreat 
  obtained 
  by 
  burrowing 
  underground, 
  or 
  by 
  the 
  adoption 
  of 
  

   nocturnal 
  habits 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  poison, 
  and 
  of 
  deadly 
  apparatus 
  in 
  the 
  

   form 
  of 
  fangs 
  or 
  stings 
  for 
  its 
  injection 
  into 
  the 
  bodies 
  of 
  enemies 
  or 
  prey 
  ; 
  in 
  

   protection 
  afforded 
  by 
  plated 
  or 
  spiny 
  armor 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  chemical 
  warfare 
  

   which 
  is 
  practised, 
  for 
  instance, 
  by 
  certain 
  insects 
  ; 
  and 
  of 
  poison 
  gas, 
  by 
  crea- 
  

   tures 
  like 
  the 
  skunk. 
  

  

  Of 
  all 
  these 
  various 
  adaptations 
  — 
  which 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  noted 
  each 
  have 
  their 
  parallel 
  

   in 
  the 
  paraphernalia 
  of 
  modern 
  warfare 
  — 
  perhaps 
  none 
  is 
  so 
  important, 
  so 
  

   widely 
  distributed, 
  or 
  so 
  perfect 
  as 
  that 
  which 
  renders 
  animals 
  inconspicuous, 
  

   and 
  often 
  well-nigh 
  invisible, 
  in 
  their 
  natural 
  surroundings. 
  

  

  He 
  even 
  goes 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  — 
  

  

  * 
  * 
  * 
  concealment 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  ends 
  attained 
  in 
  

   the 
  evolution 
  of 
  animals. 
  And 
  although 
  in 
  most 
  spheres 
  of 
  modern 
  warfare 
  

   man 
  has 
  now 
  (though 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  only 
  recently) 
  advanced 
  far 
  ahead 
  of 
  the 
  

   animal 
  creation 
  in 
  his 
  equipment 
  for 
  protection 
  and 
  aggression 
  — 
  in 
  regard, 
  for 
  

   instance, 
  to 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  armor 
  and 
  mobility, 
  to 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  projectiles 
  

   and 
  of 
  devices 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  balloon 
  barrage 
  (which 
  in 
  principle 
  is 
  "a 
  gigantic 
  

   spider's 
  web), 
  smoke 
  screens 
  (which 
  are 
  used 
  with 
  effect 
  by 
  cuttle-fishes 
  who 
  

   dart 
  for 
  safety 
  behind 
  a 
  dense 
  cloud 
  of 
  sepia), 
  and 
  of 
  instruments 
  such 
  as 
  range- 
  

   finders 
  and 
  sound-detectors 
  and 
  the 
  like 
  — 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  camouflage 
  is 
  an 
  exceptional 
  

   one. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  last 
  war 
  camouflage 
  was 
  developed 
  extensively 
  along 
  

   such 
  lines 
  as 
  dazzle-painting 
  of 
  ships 
  to 
  break 
  up 
  their 
  mass 
  and 
  render 
  

   their 
  outlines 
  less 
  definite 
  and 
  less 
  recognizable, 
  of 
  splotch-painting 
  of 
  

   field 
  artillery 
  pieces 
  to 
  simulate 
  their 
  surroundings, 
  and 
  of 
  lightening 
  

   those 
  parts 
  of 
  objects 
  that 
  were 
  usually 
  in 
  shadow 
  to 
  reduce 
  the 
  visual 
  

   solidity 
  of 
  the 
  objects 
  involved. 
  On 
  the 
  whole, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  

   bulk 
  of 
  the 
  camouflage 
  work 
  done 
  was 
  to 
  create 
  concealment 
  from 
  

   ground 
  level 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  from 
  fairly 
  low 
  levels. 
  Concealment 
  from 
  high 
  

   above 
  was 
  relatively 
  less 
  important 
  then 
  than 
  now. 
  However, 
  with 
  

   the 
  present 
  enormous 
  development 
  in 
  aerial 
  warfare 
  and 
  the 
  ever-in- 
  

   creasing 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  air 
  arm 
  in 
  both 
  military 
  and 
  naval 
  operations 
  of 
  all 
  

  

  