lob Barbour and Phillips, Concealing Coloration Again. |_April 



their native haunts in more than one zoological region, he would 

 probably realize, as other naturalists have realized, that amongst 

 many groups of birds color appears to be absolutely haphazard, the 

 result of selections of various sorts concerning which we have as 

 yet but little understanding. The fact that a red tanager, for in- 

 stance, is protected in a forest of green, because the colors are 

 complementary and because red occurs in the small areas of light 

 produced by sunshine coming through green foliage may be so, 

 although we doubt it. Nevertheless we do know that a vast ma- 

 jority of the birds of that same forest are not colored red but some 

 or indeed almost any other color! 



Again we ourselves see in the origin of counter shading only a 

 manifestation of the direct influence of light rays. The condition is 

 not one which we can suppose to have been derived by selection of 

 any sort. The white ventral surface of a flounder can be darkened 

 by the action of light and pigmented fishes which have taken to 

 living in caves have descendants which are pigmentless. Mr. 

 Roosevelt has raised the question of why a counter-shaded 

 creature covers its important white belly by squatting when it 

 most needs any protection which counter shading might give. 

 This question remains unanswered. So that suggestive as it is 

 we cannot as yet quite swallow the theory of counter shading 

 in its entirety. 



We see in the vast variation of color which many closely related 

 species exhibit, the operation perhaps of chance germinal variations, 

 perpetuated because, on account of their relative unimportance, 

 they cease to become an object of special selectional value to the 

 individual. This is perhaps akin to variations seen in degenerated 

 organs and tissues, which, no longer subject to selection, are apt 

 to show marked individual variation. 



The very wealth of variety of external coloration and pattern, as 

 against the extraordinary stability of the more important organs 

 and tissues, would tend in our eyes to lower its immediate protec- 

 tive importance. 



Acquiescence in Mr. Thayer's views throws a pall over the 

 entire subject of animal coloration. Investigation is discour- 

 aged; and we find jumbled together, a great mass of fasci- 

 nating and extremely complicated data, all simply explained by 



