636 PICTURE-WRITING OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 
than rifles or tirailleurs. He insisted that the color naturally and 
necessarily belongs to the Rifles, because the soldiers of that arm when 
clad with that color were most useful as skirmishers in wooded regions. 
This reason for the selection of green for the riflemen who composed a 
part of the early army of the United States is correct, but in the neces- 
sity for the distinction of special uniforms for the several component 
parts of a military establishment, whether in Europe or America, the 
original and often obsolete application of color was wholly disregarded 
and colors were selected simply because they were not then appro- 
priated by other branches of the service. So in the late formation of 
the signal corps of the U. 8S. Army, the color of orange, which had 
belonged to the old dragoons, was adopted simply because it was a 
good color no longer appropriated. 
With these changes by abandonment and adoption comes fashion, 
which has its strong effect. It is even exemplified where least 
expected, i. e., in Stamboul. Every one knows that the descendants 
of the Prophet alone are entitled to wear green turbans, but a late 
Sultan, not being of the blood of Mohammed, could not wear the color, 
so the emirs who could do so carefully abstained from green in his 
presence and the color for the time was unfashionable. 
As the evolution of clothing commenced with painting and tattooing, 
it may be admitted that what is now called fashion must have had its 
effect on the earlier as on the later forms of personal decoration. 
Granting that there was an ideographic origin to all designs painted 
on the person, the ambition or vanity of individuals to be distinctive 
and to excel must soon have introduced varieties and afterward imita- 
tions of such patterns, colors, or combinations as favorably struck the 
local taste. The subject therefore is much confused. 
An additional suggestion comes from the study of the Mexican 
codices. In them color often seems to be used according to the fancy 
of the scribe. Compare pages 108 and 109 of the Codex Vaticanus, in 
Kingsborough, Vol. 11, with pages 4 and 5 of the Codex Telleriano 
Remensis, in part 4 of Kingsborough, Vol. 1, where the figures and their 
signification are evidently the same, but the coloration is substantially 
reversed. 
A comparison of Henry R. Schooleraft’s published coloration with 
the facts found by the recent examination of the present writer is 
set forth with detail on page 202, supra. 
In his copious illustrations colors were exhibited freely and with 
stated significance, whereas, in fact, the general rule in regard to the 
birch-bark rolls is that they were never colored at all; indeed, the bark . 
was not adapted to coloration. His colors were painted on and over the 
true seratchings, according to his own fancy. The metaphorical color- 
ing was also used by him in a manner which, to any thorough student 
of the Indian philosophy and religions, seems absurd. ~ Metaphysical 
significance is attached ‘o some of the colored devices, or, as he calls 
