CHAPTER XV. 



Protective colouration in animals — Theory carried to extremes — A reaction 

 which goes too far — IVIi-. Selous' views — Fallacious basis of his deductions 

 from observations correct in themselves— Alternatives to the protective 

 colouration theorj^ — Darwin and sexual selection — Dr. Wallace : re- 

 cognition marks — No theory adequate to take the place of protective 

 coloiu-ation — What do Selous' observations really prove ? — ^The kudu's 

 stripes — The zebra at the present day — The quagga : explanation of its 

 uniform colouration — A first clue to the problem's solution: the zebra 

 probably originally an inhabitant of thick jungle. — Habits of carnivora 

 — ^Do the Felidae hunt by scent ? — ^Evidence to the contrary — Nocturnal 

 habits of the lion — Probability that the Uon originally hunted by day — 

 Evolutionary development in both lion and zebra — Deduction that 

 colouration was original^ evolved under different conditions when 

 protection by concealment was of value— Colour at night — Smaller 

 animals — Why the buffalo is not protectively coloured — Conclusion that 

 objections to the theory of protective colouration in the larger animals 

 are only objections in seeming — The harmony of Nature. 



In speaking of the protective colouration of the lesser 

 kudu in the previous chapter, I deliberately touched 

 upon what is at the present day a somewhat con- 

 troversial subject. The great truths underlying 

 Darwin's theories of evolution were not accepted in a 

 day, but once naturalists in general had taken to their 

 bosom the wonderful principle of natural selection, 

 it was only in human nature that some of them should 

 proceed after a time to carry their theories, especial!}' 

 in respect of animal colouration, to extremes. 



More recently there has been a reaction, which has 

 been strengthened in some measure by the writings 

 of " hunter-naturalists " like Selous and Roosevelt, 



