118 



PKOF. E. RAY LANKESTER ON HAIR-FRINGES AND [Feb. 5, 



text-figure 40. The superposition of the darker free ends of 

 the hairs conceals their paler basal regions, and thus intensifies 

 the difl^ei-ence between the apparent colouring of the troughs or 

 wrinkles and the intermediate spaces where the hairs do not 

 converge. An interesting experiment in regard to this matter was 

 made by my assistant Dr, Ridewood. He took a piece of pale 

 hat-maker's plush, and stained with dark pigment the free ends 

 of its hairy surface. He found that on throwing this manufac- 

 tured material into a series of wi'inkles, very strong alternation 



Text-fig. 40. 



Surface-view of banded " pelage " of the frontal region of foetal Giraffe, showing the 

 convergence of the hairs at the three longitudinal bands of dark appearance. 

 Magnified. 



of dark and light colour-stripes could be produced. (This pre- 

 pared material was shown to the Meeting and dark and light 

 bands produced in it and I'emoved at pleasure by alternately 

 throwing it into wrinkles and stretching it so as to remove the 

 wrinkles.) 



Although these coloui'-stripes on the head of the foetal GiraflTe 

 thus appear not to be due to alternate tracts of hair of differing 

 colour, it seems to me that they have a real existence as effective 

 colour-marking, and that their structural cause is to be found in 

 the difierentiation of the attachment of the panniculus carnosus 



