"^'°'"l9lO^'"] General Notes. 347 



alarm-sounds of the species. While the high head shows from all direc- 

 tions, and nearly twice as far, and in the open always dark against bright 

 sky, this famous ' blazon' is never in sight but from one direction at a time, 

 and even from there no fawn or any member of the herd that chances to 

 have its head lowered as in grazing will often see it against anything but 

 sky. Add to this that the signal only tells of danger perceived by the 

 signaller, and generally concerning him the most. Lastly, this discussion 

 is all about day-time signalling, and these ruminants are then in their 

 least danger. 



Now I beg attention once more to what I believe to be the cardinal 

 use of this white. At night, when these animals are stalked, the stalker 

 as we all believe, creeps as low as possible (presumably so as not to show 

 against the sky). The nearer he gets the surer is the deer's first bound 

 to bring his rear-white against the sky. In short, to get near enough to 

 seize the deer or antelope means for the predator to be so situated that 

 the white patch (like one's hand held before one's eyes, which though only 

 four inches wide covers the entire landscape) blots out the whole deer, 

 putting in his place an imitation of sky. 



Nothing but actual personal experimenting such as I myself have done 

 will bring home this wonderful fact to naturalists. No more miraculous 

 safety-provision could be dreamt of. And if it is the magical thing I 

 show it to be, and always comes into play at the animal's Ufe-and-death 

 moments, could it fail to come into automatic operation whenever the 

 slightest stimulus to fear reached the animal's brain? Does there remain 

 any ground whatever to consider that it exists/or signalling? 



It vdW soon be perceived that the world of terrestrial animals, both 

 mammals and birds, are furnished with this top-white in very apparent 

 proportion to their need of not showing against the sky: — grubbing pre- 

 datory mammals and ground-feeding predatory birds having it irl front, 

 and the rest wearing it behind, exactly where it does them the same 

 obliteraiive service that it does the antelope. 



Tennis players know that they play their best game while the balls 

 are clean and show white against the dark ground. And the same princi- 

 ple is observed by ' squash ' players, who reverse the thing — using dark 

 balls against a light background. How could these close-lying animals 

 that must bound away at the last moment fail to develop a coloration that 

 made them the worst of targets for their stalkers? Surely it is what most 

 directly saves their lives that is of the very most account to them. 

 Abbott H. Thayer, Monadnock, N. H. 



