CONCLUSION. 311 



among the checkered shadows which was so 

 inconspicuous that it had previously escaped 

 notice. Suddenly a dog came bounding through 

 the trees, and in an instant all the deer which 

 had been lying down leaped to their feet, and 

 after a moment's hesitation the whole herd can- 

 tered away to another part of the park. As 

 they fled every animal was rendered exceedingly 

 conspicuous by its white tail, which flapped up 

 and down at every bound. 



Now why should these timid creatures at the 

 very moment that they are avoiding an enemy 

 thus render themselves the most prominent objects 

 in the landscape ? That the white tail is not 

 chance eccentricity of coloration, like the white 

 markings about certain domestic animals, is evi- 

 dent for three reasons. Firstly, deer have never 

 been sufficiently domesticated to be bred arti- 

 ficially, like tame cattle, fowls, or pigeons, and 

 therefore their present coloration must be attrib- 

 uted to natural causes. Secondly, the white 

 " flag" displayed by certain deer is not a peculiar- 

 ity of one or two animals in a herd, but is uni- 

 versally present among all members of a species ; 

 therefore it can only be accounted for upon the 

 ground that it has proved of value in the struggle 



