

230 



SELECTION. 



Chap. XXI. 



thel 



that in a flock the white always first fall victims 

 In Belgium, where so many societies have been en 



blished for the flight of carrier-pigeons, white is the 



which for the 



disliked. 21 On the other hand 



is said that the sea-eagle (Falco ossifragus, Linn.) on the west 

 coast of Ireland picks out the black fowls, so that " the vil- 

 lagers avoid as much as possible rearing birds of that colour." 

 M. Daudin, 22 speaking of white rabbits kept in warrens 

 Russia, remarks that their 



colour is a great disadvantage 



in 

 as 



they are thus more exposed to attack, and can be seen during 

 bright nights from a distance. A gentleman in Kent, who failed 

 to stock his woods with a nearly white and hardy kind of rabbit 

 accounted in the same manner for their early disappearance. 



Any one who will watch 



white 



prowling after her prey 



will soon perceive under what a disadvantage she 



The white Tartarian cherry, " owing either to its colour being 

 so much like that of the leaves, or to the fruit always appearing 

 from a distance unripe," is not so readily attacked by birds 

 as other sorts. The yellow-fruited raspberry, which generally 



nearly true by seed 

 who evidently are not fond of 

 with in places where nothing 



ery little molested by birds, 

 o that nets may be dispensed 

 will protect the red fruit." 23 



This immunity, though a benefit to the gardener, would be a 



i in a state of nature both to the cherry and 

 pberry, as their dissemination depends on birds. I noticed 



disadvantag 



during 



al winters that some trees of the yellow-berried 



holly, which were raised from seed from 



my father, remained covered with fruit, whilst not 



ild tree found by 



a 



scarlet 



berry could be seen on the adjoining trees of the. common kind. 

 A friend informs me that a mountain-ash (Pijrus aucuparia) 

 growing in his garden bears berries which, though not differently 

 coloured, are always devoured by birds before those on the other 

 trees. This variety of the mountain-ash v 



ould thus be 



freely disseminated, and the yellow-berried variety of the holly 

 less freely, than the common varieties of these two trees. 



21 W. B. Tegetmeier, < The Field,' vii., 1860, p. 359. 



Feb. 25, 1865. With respect to black 



fowls, see a quotation in Thompson's 



' Nat. Hist, of Ireland,' 1849, vol. i. p. 22. 



22 ' Bull, de^la Soc. d'Acclimat.,' torn. 



23 ' Transact. Hort. Soc.,' vol. i. 2nd 

 series, 1835, p. 275. For raspberries, 

 see « Gard. Chronicle,' 1855, p. 154, and 

 1863, p. 245. 



l 



f 





