44 AFRICAN GAME TRAILS 



reason for supposing that the creature gains any benefit 

 whatever from what is loosely called its "protective colora- 

 tion.'* Giraffes, leopards and zebras, for instance, have 

 actually been held up as instances of creatures that are 

 "protectingly" colored and are benefited thereby. The 

 giraffe is one of the most conspicuous objects in nature, 

 and never makes the slightest effort to hide; near by its 

 mottled hide is very noticeable, but as a matter of fact, 

 under any ordinary circumstances any possible foe trust- 

 ing to eyesight would discover the giraffe so far away that 

 its coloring would seem uniform, that is, would because of 

 the distance be indistinguishable from a general tint which 

 really might have a slight protective value. In other words 

 while it is possible that the giraffe's beautifully waved color- 

 ing may under certain circumstances, and in an infinitesi- 

 mally small number of cases, put it at a slight disadvantage 

 in the struggle for life, in the enormous majority of cases 

 a majority so great as to make the remaining cases negligi- 

 ble it has no effect whatever, one way or the other; and 

 it is safe to say that under no conditions is its coloring of 

 the slightest value to it as affording it "protection" from 

 foes trusting to their eyesight. So it is with the leopard; 

 it is undoubtedly much less conspicuous than if it were 

 black and yet the black leopards, the melanistic individ- 

 uals, thrive as well as their spotted brothers; while on the 

 whole it is probably slightly more conspicuous than if it were 

 nearly unicolor, like the American cougar. As compared with 

 the cougar's tawny hide the leopard's coloration represents a 

 very slight disadvantage, and not an advantage, to the beast; 

 but its life is led under conditions which make either the 

 advantage or the disadvantage so slight as to be negligible; 



