358 THE REDISCOVERED COUNTRY 



the influence of plumage and pelage on sex attraction is well 

 known. The point to remember is that all these functions 

 — of variety, sex attraction, concealment, warning, recog- 

 nition — are definite functions; that one in no sense ex- 

 cludes another; that any one may at any time act the lead- 

 ing part and at another be relegated to the subordinate 

 part. Such being the case, it is ill-advised to lay so much 

 stress on any one function that all others are warped and 

 bent to fit it. Whether Nature so patterned her creatures 

 that they might be distinguished one from the other, and 

 then incidentally arranged that those patterns should help 

 conceal or reveal at need: or whether she intended conceal- 

 ment as the major requisite, and handily fitted in the other 

 functions; or whether, quite simply, she was working out the 

 mysterious world-need for beauty and infinite variety, it is 

 each man's privilege to decide for himself. But I think it 

 should be remembered that most often she works by ten- 

 dency rather than by hard fact. 



