LEAF AND TENDRIL 



Now if all animals that prey upon others were 

 guided by the eye alone, there would be much more 

 in the theory than there is. But none of the preda- 

 ceous four-footed beasts depend entirely upon the 

 eye. The cat tribe does to a certain extent, but these 

 creatures stalk or waylay moving game, and the 

 color does not count. A white hare will evidently 

 fall a prey to a lynx or a cougar in our winter woods 

 as easily as a brown rabbit; and will not a desert- 

 colored animal faU a prey to a lion or a tiger just 

 as readily as it would if it were white or black? 

 Then the most destructive tribes of all, the wolves, 

 the foxes, the minks, the weasels, the skunks, the 

 coons, and the like, depend entirely upon scent. 

 The eye plays a very insignificant part in their 

 hunting, hence again the question of color is elimi- 

 nated. 



Birds of prey depend upon the eye, but they are 

 also protectively colored, and their eyes are so pre- 

 ternaturally sharp that no disguise of assimilative 

 tints is of any avail against them. If both the 

 hunted and its hunter are concealed by their neutral 

 tints, of what advantage is it to either? If the 

 brown bird is hidden from the brown hawk, and 

 vice versa, then are they on an equal footing in this 

 respect, and the victory is to the sharpest-eyed. 

 If, as is doubtless the case, the eye of the hawk 

 sharpens as the problem of his existence becomes 

 more difficult, then is the game even, and the quarry 

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