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SECTION III.-THE COLOURS OF 

 ANIMALS. 



I. 



I. There are few more interesting parts of natural 

 history than the study of the causes which have led 

 to the present colours of animals and plants. As 

 regards plants, and especially flowers, I shall have 

 something to say in a future chapter, and I will 

 now therefore confine myself to animals. 



The colour of animals is by no means a matter 

 of chance ; it depends on many considerations, but 

 in the majority of cases tends to protect the animal 

 from danger by rendering it less conspicuous. 



Perhaps it may be said that if colouring is mainly 

 protective, there ought to be but few brightly- 

 coloured animals. There are, however, not a few 

 cases in which vivid colours are themselves protec- 

 tive. The kingfisher itself, though so brightly 

 coloured, is by no means easy to see. The blue 

 harmonises with the water, and as it darts along 

 the stream it looks almost like a flash of sunlight ; 

 besides which, protection is not the only considera- 



