THE SILENT LANGUAGE OF ANIMALS 



HAT a great difference there 

 is in brilliancy of colouring 

 between birds and the furry 



K/%^ -f^^k creatures. How the plumage of a car- 

 FJJjf jli I dinal, or indigo bunting, or humming- 

 Jtf |\ bird glows in the sunlight, and reflects 



1 1 to our eyes the most intense vermilion 

 or indigo or an iridescence of the whole 

 gamut of colour. On the other hand, 

 how sombrely clad are the deer, the rab- 

 bits, and the mice; gray and brown and 

 white being the usual hue of their fur. 

 This difference is by no means accidental, but has for 

 its cause a deep significance, all-important to the life 

 of the bird or mammal. Scientists have long known of it, 



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