26 THE LOG OF THE SUN 



parents were never able to swoop down in the 

 darkness and surprise a mouse now and then, — 

 hence the gray plumage and great eyes of the 

 parent owls. 



The most conviacing proof of the reality of pro- 

 tective coloration is in the change of plumage or 

 fur of some of the wild creatures to suit the sea- 

 son. In the far north, the grouse or ptarmigan, 

 as they are called, do not keep feathers of the 

 same colour the year round, as does our ruffed 

 grouse ; but change their dress no fewer than three 

 times. When rocks and moss are buried deep 

 beneath the snow, and a keen-eyed hawk appears, 

 the white-feathered ptarmigan crouches and be- 

 comes an inanimate mound. Later in the year, 

 with the increasing warmth, patches of gray and 

 brown earth appear, and simultaneously, as if its 

 feathers were really snowflakes, splashes of brown 

 replace the pure white of the bird's plumage, and 

 equally baffle the eye. Seeing one of these birds 

 by itself, we coidd readily tell, from the colour of 

 its plumage, the time of year and general aspect 

 of the country from which it came. Its pliunage 

 is like a mirror which reflects the snow, the moss, 

 or the lichens in turn. It is, indeed, a feathered 

 chameleon, but with changes of colour taking place 

 more slowly than is the case in the reptUe. 



We may discover changes somewhat similar, 

 but furry instead of feathery, in the woods about 

 our home. The fiercest of all the animals of our 



