POSTSCRIPT 127 



I think I have shown that both in the Leopard and in the Horse spots 

 do not infrequently arrange themselves in transverse lines or series. 



P. 4. 'A similar state of things occurs among wild Pigs, and also in Tapirs, 

 from which we are naturally led to infer that in this group of mammals, at least, 

 a spotted or striped type of coloration is the " original " or generahsed con- 

 dition, while a uniformly coloured coat is an acquired or specialised feature, 

 and we shall find that this will hold good for other groups.' 



In my humble opinion — and I have tried to show why I hold this 

 opinion — both the striped type of coloration and the uniformly coloured 

 coat are derived from the spotted or rosetted types. 



In writing of the Rodents, IVIr. Lydekker says (p. 4) : — 



' A survey of the collection of these animals in a good museum will show 

 that, whether the patterns take the form of stripes or spots, the arrangement is 

 invariably longitudinal, and " never " transverse.' 



Now, it is impossible to separate the Rodents from other mammals, and, 

 as I have already said, transverse rows of spots and rosettes are not 

 uncommon in other mammals. All that we can infer is, that in the 

 existing Rodents no species with transverse stripes or spots are found. 

 Perhaps this is what Mr. Lydekker meant. 



P. 4. ' By a splitting-up of a simple spot into a more or less complete ring 

 of smaller ones, we have the rosette-like type of ornamentation, as exemplified 

 in the Leopard, the Snow Leopard, and the Jaguar. In the two former, the 

 ring encloses a uniform light area ; but in the latter the central area generally 

 carries one or more dark spots.' 



I confess I am unable to accept Mr. Lydekker's view of the origin of the 

 rosette from a splitting-up of a simple spot, for reasons given in Part III. 

 I am indebted to Mr. Lydekker himself for a hint of the value of those 

 interesting ' one or more dark spots ' in the central area of the Jaguar 

 rosette. 



In one of the rMXi\\)t.ri, oi Knowledge he described a strange Glyptodont 

 {Dcedicurus), with a club tail, in the La Plata Museum. The holes in each 

 armour-plate of that singular animal are, in my opinion, the equivalents of 

 the dark spots in the interior of the Jaguar rosettes, a remarkable example 

 of which is to be seen in the Tring Museum. 



