CONSPICUOUSNESS IN NATURE 17 



but afterwards the mind may decide what 

 species of wasp it is by its colour, or some 

 other character. For this reason, form per 

 se is a character which the majority of 

 animals endeavour to hide, because the 

 majority of animals wish to make themselves 

 inconspicuous in Nature. So much is this 

 so, that a study of protection is in truth a 

 study of the means used to obliterate form. 

 Nevertheless, some animals which are pur- 

 posely conspicuous in Nature take no pre- 

 cautions to obliterate form, but, in fact, rather 

 accentuate their shape ; these may be said 

 to possess purposely conspicuous form. 



Thayer has shown that form is commonly rendered 

 inconspicuous by obliterative shading. 



Absence of obliterative shading or anti-obliterative 

 shading, when found in animals whose form could be 

 concealed by obliterative shading, will be examples of 

 purposely conspicuous form. 



Purposely conspicuous form may be classi- 

 fied like purposely conspicuous motion, ac- 

 cording as the signal is to friends or to 

 enemies. 



Mention has already been made of con- 

 spicuousness, produced by the taking up of 

 particular positions ; this may be accentuated 

 by the assumption of some easily seen form in 



B 



