CONSPICUOUS COLOUR 29 
Having analysed to some extent colour in 
Nature, and shown that some colours cannot, 
and others probably do not, render an animal 
inconspicuous, and must therefore make it 
conspicuous, it now becomes necessary to 
consider the colour and habits of animals 
conjointly. By means of examples it will be 
shown that the colour and habits of animals 
are correlated ; and that conspicuous colouring 
in animals is a fact of Nature. 
The Sheldrake (Tadorna cornuta) will be 
the first example: the sexes are nearly similar, 
coloured with large masses of black, white, 
and red; it lives in estuaries, on mud flats 
and sand banks, it nests in sand hills; among 
these surroundings, no matter at what angle 
it is viewed, it is an object visible from afar, 
often at a distance of several miles. It is 
possible to conceive of a background, of 
boulders for instance, or of different coloured 
seaweeds on white sand, against which the 
bird would not be conspicuous: just as it 
is easy to conceive of a background against 
which it would be conspicuous: but ask the 
wild-fowler or longshoreman which is the 
most conspicuous bird on the shore, and 
he will say—the Sheldrake. Systematically 
watch the birds over a long period of time 
