CHAP. X.] COLOURS MOST SUITED FOR SPORTSMEN. 305 



the dress, infinite misunderstanding generally prevails, 

 as may at once be perceived by tlie colour of the 

 uniform in which our rifle corps are clothed. People 

 have an idea that because shadows are dark, and 

 because people who crouch in ambuscade are generally 

 in shadows, that therefore their clothes should be dark 

 also. They forget that the same shade which deepens 

 the tint of the trees gives at the same time an extra 

 depth to the colour of the man's clothes. As a first 

 approximation to obtaining the best-coloured di-ess 

 for the purposes of concealment, one would say, let 

 it be of the prevailing hue of the country it is to be 

 used in ; so that, if the clothes were dropped on the 

 ground, they would be positively undistinguishable 

 from it at a short distance, whatever bla/e of light or 

 depth of shadow fell on it. I am acquainted with no 

 country in the world in which " rifle-gTeeu " would 

 answer this requirement. But, gomg a step further, 

 we find that in no case hardly is the colour of the 

 land one uniform hue, but that a cloth of any one 

 colour, even though it be of the prevailing tint, catches 

 the eye from its mass. It is therefore better that the 

 colour of the dress should not be the same throughout, 

 but irregularly broken, and that too in a manner 

 which does not contrast too strongly with the dispo- 

 sition of the scenerj^ as for instance, the stripes on a 

 tiger's hide being vertical are far less conspicuous 

 among the upright stems and reeds than if nature 

 had disposed them horizontally. A little experimenta- 

 lizing will show another curious and very unexpected 

 result, namely, that if the very brightest colom-s are 



