PROTECTIVE COLORATION 429 



comes difficult to distinguish them from their surroundings, 

 even when one knows precisely their location. Many animals 

 living on or among green foliage are as green as the leaves. 

 These agreements in color between the animal and its environ- 

 ment render the animal difficult to see and, therefore, protect 

 it from its enemies. The same characteristic of the animal 

 enables it to steal upon its prey, but in either case the color is 

 an advantage and may have been developed through natural 

 selection. 



862. It has been shown that some color patterns, which at 

 first sight seem to render the wearer conspicuous, have in 



FIG. 266. Protective resemblance. A sea-horse resembling a sea-weed. 

 (From Galloway after Eckstein.) 



reality an obliterating effect when seen at a distance under 

 natural surroundings. Nevertheless, there are many cases 

 in which the color makes the animal conspicuous. This may 

 be illustrated by the many species of birds in which the 

 male is brilliantly colored. An explanation for this coloring 

 has already been given. But the females of these same species 

 are usually very plainly colored and harmonize well with their 

 surroundings. The female usually broods over the eggs, and 



