12 AFRICAN NATURE NOTES CHAP. 



on the ground, though difficult to detect in the 

 winter ; some are grey, with white heads, necks, 

 and rumps ; whilst others are nearly black, and there- 

 fore very conspicuous in winter. Of the predatory 

 animals the large timber wolves are, as a rule, pale 

 greyish brown with black hairs on their backs and 

 shoulders, but a considerable number are quite black ; 

 the foxes are either red or black, or of the inter- 

 mediate coloration known as "cross"; whilst the 

 wolverines, martens, and minks are rich dark brown, 

 and the lynxes neutral grey. The stoat or ermine 

 is the only carnivorous animal which turns white in 

 winter in these countries. 



It would thus appear that in the sub- Arctic Regions 

 of North America the coloration of mammals does 

 not obviously serve the purpose of concealing the 

 herbivorous species from their enemies, or of en- 

 abling carnivorous animals to approach their prey 

 unperceived. To come nearer home, we find that 

 whereas in the Alpine regions of Europe the 

 mountain hare turns white in winter, the chamois 

 living in the same snow-covered ground becomes 

 deep black. It is true that in winter chamois often 

 leave the open mountains and live amongst the 

 higher forests, where it may be said that their 

 dark colour harmonises well with the dark foliage 

 of the spruce trees ; but I have hunted chamois 

 in December in the mountains of Transylvania, 

 when they were in full winter coat, and I certainly 

 found that their dark coloration often made them 

 conspicuous. 



Turning to Africa, we have many instances of 

 what seen in the open and at short range cannot 

 possibly be called anything but conspicuous colora- 

 tion, such as the jet black and pure white striping 

 of the East African form of Burchell's zebra ; the 

 deep glossy black body and neck, with snow-white 

 belly and parti-coloured face, of the sable antelope ; 



