THE COLORATION OF LARGE ANIMALS 13 
latter animal in Ceylon. Moreover, spotted species seem to | 
be more essentially diurnal than sombre-coloured forms. 
When the meaning and purport of the coloration of 
mammals first began to receive careful attention on the 
part of naturalists, there was a tendency to classify brilliant 
markings like those of the African bushbucks, bongo, and 
kudus as “recognition markings "—that is to say, markings 
designed to enable all members of a species to recognise 
with facility their own kind. Animals have, however, 
other modes of mutual recognition in addition to colour; 
besides which different species, whether they go about in 
pairs, in small family parties, or in herds, keep, as a rule, 
more or less to themselves, and are in no danger of mis- 
taking other species for their own kind. Probably among 
the great majority of mammals the only “ recognition 
marks” are the white or light-coloured areas on the tail 
Set eae 
or hindquarters, which are displayed to their fullest extent — 
in many cases when the members of a party or herd have 
to “bolt” suddenly to covert. In some species, like the 
rabbit and the white-tailed American deer, the white area 
is restricted to the under-side of the tail and the adjacent 
portions of the buttocks, and in such cases the tail is 
always raised when in flight, so as to expose a large and 
, 
conspicuous blaze of white. In other species, such as the’ | 
Japanese deer and its relatives of the Asiatic mainland, or 
the roe, the white area takes the form of a patch of long 
hairs on the rump, which are erected and expanded when 
the animals are alarmed. Probably the straw-coloured 
rump-patch of the wapiti and red-deer is of the same 
nature, but as these animals are less likely to miss their 
leader when in flight than is the case with smaller species, 
the “recognition mark” is less conspicuous. 
In regard to spotted deer and striped antelopes, it 
