236 Practical Game Preserving. 



and one that is, to say the least, a remarkably feeble 

 explanation of the change. Were this the case, a similar 

 explanation would hold good with regard to the arctic 

 fox and polar bear, which, as is well known, are white ; 

 and many other animals and birds, &c., inhabiting regions 

 rarely visited by man, have white as the most prominent 

 colour in their fur and plumage respectively. 



That the change has something to do with the defence 

 of the stoat against the cold of winter is evident, and 

 when we come to look into the matter, we may fairly 

 say that cold is the primary cause of an alteration in colour 

 that may be necessary to defend the animal upon which 

 it occurs against the conditions which brought it about. 



That dark substances radiate heat in a much more 

 effectual manner than white or light coloured ones is well 

 known, and it is in connection with this that we may 

 find the cause of the change in colour of the stoat. In 

 order to be better able to collect and retain any small 

 amount of warmth, the fur of the stoat living in more 

 northern latitudes must necessarily be lighter in colour, 

 hence the reason of this blanching of the fur. 



