128 STUDIES IN THE EVOLUTION OF ANIMALS 



Then, in the beautiful illustration of the Snow Leopard in Mr. Lydek- 

 ker's paper under discussion, we seem to follow the genesis of the stripes 

 on the tail gradually from the rosettes on the haunch of the animal. 

 The rosettes are carried on to the base of the tail, and insensibly, by 

 flattening and obliteration of the enclosed area, they are converted into 

 stripes. So that we have the choice of two modes of genesis of stripes — 

 either, as I have shown, from rows of rosettes, like the twin stripes of 

 certain Tiger skins, or from single rosettes, as indicated above. 



P. 4. 'A further development of the ring leads to the so-called clouded 

 type, as displayed by the Oriental Clouded Leopard, the Marbled Cat, and the 

 American Ocelot. Here the ring becomes enlarged into a large squarish or 

 oblong area, enclosing an area of darker hue than the general ground-colour 

 of the fur, and bordered by a narrow black line.' 



In discussing the markings of the Ocelot, I have shown that their curious 

 markings result from a fusion of many rosettes disposed in longitudinal 

 order, and not from an enlargement of ' the ring.' In the Ocelots it is a 

 longitudinal fusion of a number of rosettes ; in the others it is a squarish 

 patch, formed, as I think, by the fusion of a group of rosettes into one 

 large island. Many modifications may have occurred after fusion, and in 

 the Clouded Leopard we have perhaps a transition from this into the 

 eventual uniformly coloured coat — a sort of breaking-up of the whole 

 patch. 



The curious part is that in some Ocelots the central dark spots of the 

 rosettes are still retained, but they become arranged in line in the centre 

 of the longitudinal band, while the amalgamated rings form a black border 

 to the scolloped band. 



P. 5. Professor Eimer, ' as the result of his investigations, laid down the 

 following laws : — 



' Firstly, the primitive type of coloration took the form of longitudinal 

 stripes ; secondly, these stripes broke up into spots, retaining in many cases a 

 more or less distinct longitudinal arrangement ; thirdly, the spots again 

 coalesced, but this time into transverse stripes. And, further, all markings 

 disappeared, so as to produce a uniform coloration of the coat.' 



To this Mr. Lydekker says (p. 5) : — 



' There ought, if the theory were true in its entirety, to be a considerable 



number of longitudinally striped species among the lowest groups of all. . . 



