PROTECTIVE RESEMBLANCE 441 



may serve to reflect or absorb heat or protect the tissues 

 of the body from injurious effects of the sun's rays. A few 

 examples of these various classes of animal coloration will 

 illustrate the various ways whereby it serves to' adapt a 

 species to its surroundings and the struggle for existence. 

 Protective Resemblance. — The color pattern of this 

 class of adaptations enables an animal to' escape recogni- 

 tion on the part of its enemies. It may be of a general 

 character (Fig. 122), and harmonize the animal with the 



Fig. 122.— The common Eastern quail, or Bob-white, Colinus 

 virginianus. (Photograph by J. R. Slonaker.) 

 Kellogg and Donne, Econ. Zool. Holt, 



color, as a whole, of the surroundings ; or it may be more 

 specific and cause the organism to resemble a leaf, pebble, 

 or some other relatively small object. To the first class 

 belong such animals as the polar bear, arctic fox and hare, 

 whose white coats blend with the snow; or the brown 

 tones of desert animals which harmonize with sandy 

 wastes; or the greens, grays, and other tints of many 



