COLORATION OF GAME ANIMALS. 6l 



enumerated above, preclude the possibility of there being any such thing as 

 protective imitation. 



To leave the subject of colour and return to game grazing and hunting in the 

 dark, one often hears that the eyes of beasts of prey " shine in the dark." I have 

 never heard of any proof that this has been observed in complete darkness. Indeed, 

 it seems impossible unless the creature's eyes were largely composed of phosphorus. 

 Moreover, they would then be a warning to any animal they were endeavouring to 

 stalk. When you open the door of a dark room and see a cat's eyes shining, they are 

 not shining in the dark, they are reflecting the light from the open door. If you 

 were to shut the door the light in them would die out. Similarly, all the cases I have 

 heard of the eyes of wild beasts shining out from the darkness have been when the 

 animal has been facing the camp fire or other light. I noticed one of Schilling's 

 flashlight pictures referred to as proof of how animals' eyes " shine in the dark." 

 It was obvious, however, that they were shining in the flashlight and not in the dark. 



As to the theory of recognition marks, the only places such marks could be of 

 value would be on the open plains, where the grass is short. The greater part of 

 Africa, however, consists of forest, bush, swamp, and tall grass. Here there can be 

 no possible object in game being able to recognise their own species at great 

 distances, when the range of vision is limited to fifty or a hundred yards under 

 favourable circumstances, and usually to but a few yards. 



Animals seem to meet with no difficulty in finding one another, even when 

 separated by distances greatly exceeding their range of vision. When animals 

 become separated from their herds, or wish to meet for mating purposes, it is 

 wonderful with what directness they proceed to join their own fellows even from a 

 distance requiring several days' journey. When a troop of lions are disturbed suddenly 

 they often disappear out of sight in several directions. If the spoor is foflowed it 

 will be found that they have soon joined up again, although they were out of sight 

 of each other. Elephant often leave a herd for long periods and then join it again. 



When following the spoor of any animal it is common to notice that one 

 animal or another has grazed off by itself, far out of sight of the herd, and then 

 joined up with it several hours later. 



Again, it is often the case that you find some animal apparently by iself, and 

 when you disturb him he gallops off, and after following his Spoor for a while you 

 find that he has joined a herd. 



The finding of one another for mating purposes or the finding of the herd 

 appears to be chiefly done by scent and is rarely brought about by sight. There 

 seems, then, to be but little need for recognition marks. 



