ON THE DISPERSAL OF SEEDS BY MAMMALS. 2/ 



{Galeopithecus volans) (which, however, certainly lives very 

 largely and possibly altogether on leaves), the Binturong 

 (yAixtictis), the larger Viverras, Heniigale, Paradoxunis, and 

 the fruit-bats, of the habits of which in v^ild state little or 

 nothing is known. But I think it may be noticed that the fruits 

 especially sought by mammals are inconspicuous and dull- 

 coloured and not brilliant. This, however, must not be held to 

 imply that bright colours are not visible to the diurnal mammals 

 such as monkeys. Sir JOHN LuBBOCK has used the argument 

 of the coloured fruits forming the food of monkeys against the 

 theory of MAGNUS, Geiger and GLADSTONE that the ancients 

 were colour blind, saying that *' if monkeys and apes could 

 distinguish colours surely we may infer that even the most 

 savage of men could do so too." (Flowers, Fruits and leaves, 

 p. 74.) There is, however, no doubt on other grounds, 

 notably the brilliant colours of the males of some monkeys 

 themselves, that monkeys are not colour blind, while the fact 

 that the Malays have fewer names for colours than they can 

 see, and the Pahang Sakais, as Mr. CLIFFORD has shown in 

 the last number of the Journal, have only three names for 

 colours — black, white and red — although they can apparently 

 distinguish others, entirely negatives the colour-blind theories, 

 which are but another example of the worthlessness of ethno- 

 logical deductions based on the study of ancient literature only, 

 unsupplemented by comparison with the characteristics of 

 modern savages. 



List of plants, the seeds of which are certainly dispersed by 

 mammals. 



Adiiiandra dmnosa. Fruit white, with small seeds. Eaten 

 by bats. 



Diirio zibetJiiniLs, L. By bears. 

 Neesia sytiandra Mast. Seeds with eatably yellow aril. Mice. 



Canariiim riifiim and other species. Fruits green or dull 

 purple with a turpentiney or sweet taste. Eaten by monkeys. 

 A single large seed protected by an excessively hard shell. 



CalophylliLvi pidcherriniuin and other small fruited kinds 



