INTERESTING FEATURES IN HORSES, ETC. 183 



same stock, and much later on, wholly lost their armour, and 

 acquired in their hair contrasted colours instead. 



So that in existing mammals we seem to have indications of 

 four distinct stages of evolution — 



{a). Mammals which were wholly armoured, somewhat similar 

 to, say, the existing Crocodiles ; 



{J}). Mammals which were half-armoured, with hair on the lower, 

 and plates or scales on the upper surfaces, as in the existing Pan- 

 golins and Armadillos ; 



{c). Mammals which had wholly lost their armour, but retained 

 indications of their ancestral partial armour in their rosettes and in 

 their contrasts of coloration ; and 



{d). Mammals which have lost or are losing every indication of 

 ancestral armour, such as the Puma, the Lion, the domestic self- 

 coloured Horse, the domestic self-coloured Cats, Dogs, etc 



The white circle round the eyes and the white muzzle are well 

 shown in the white-nosed Coati of Central America. Its ringed 

 tail sufficiently indicates its descent from an armour-plated ancestor, 

 if the reader has been following this interesting discussion. But 

 the circle round the eyes is best seen in the parti-coloured Bear of 

 Eastern Tibet.^ This particular animal is very strangely marked. 

 It is white, with black rings round the eyes, and black ears, while 

 the shoulders are marked with a transverse black band broadening 

 towards the fore-limb. The under surface and legs are black. 



The writer who describes it says : ' Without knowing more of 

 its general surroundings, it is difficult to imagine the object of such 

 a staring contrast' 



Perhaps the coloration of this Bear has nothing to do with sur- 

 roundings as a cause of its ' staring contrast,' but may be a vestige 

 of an incomplete ancestral carapace, viz., that of a neck and head 



' Royal Natural History, vol. ii. p. 33. 



