34 NATURE STUDIES. 



cally ground-livers. Their tints,, therefore, assimilate- 

 with those of the ground and with, ground vegetation ; 

 and whatever may be the ultimate philosophy which, 

 shows the origin of such, harmonies, it is very plain 

 that the utilitarian is bound to read "protection " in 

 every line of the story. Escape from their enemies 

 must be favoured by the correspondence in colour to 

 which we allude. The harmonies of colour present 

 the safest, and therefore the best foil, to the keenness 

 of sight of the eagle, and to the agility of the falcon 

 and its kind. It is different, indeed, with the 

 songsters of the wood and grove. With well-de- 

 veloped powers of flight, and with a close refuge amid 

 the foliage of the wood, the appearance of bright hues 

 and tints in these birds is by no means disadvan- 

 tageous. Another law that of the development of 

 colour in relation to sex has taken precedence of the 

 regulation of colour as a means of protection. If 

 concealment be necessary, nature will teach the art of 

 hiding in other ways than that whereby she contrives 

 to make the partridge face danger with a stillness 

 that almost rivals that of the stones, trustful in the 

 harmony of her plumage that so closely matches her 

 heather bed. 



But there are wider fields open to the naturalist's 

 survey of colour and its meanings. Suppose that we 

 peer for a moment into the class of fishes, we shall find 

 the adaptation of colour to surroundings illustrated 

 in a very apt degree. Whoever has tried to spear a 

 sole or flounder, for example, well knows that the 



