222 
ANIMAL COLOURING. 
The conclusions of naturalists as to the laws which 
govern the colouring of animals must, it seems, be 
modified. There is no reason, however, to fear any 
loss of interest in one of the prettiest and most attrac- 
tive sides of natural history. The collection and 
comparison of the wonderful analogies in colour 
between animals and their environment, and between 
one animal and another, will still be guided by the 
leading principles which Bates and Wallace detected; 
and the delight and surprise with which the non- 
scientific world welcomed these discoveries need 
neither be regretted nor diminished. But without 
wishing to grudge one iota of the praise awarded to 
explanations, the dexterity and aptness of which 
would alone entitle them to admiration, it is still 
possible to doubt wdiether some of the minor hypo- 
theses framed to account for facts which seemed to 
stand outside the explanation of colour mimicry by 
the general law of the survival of the fittest, are not 
almost too ingenious. The fascination of the subject 
is so great that it seems to develop an over-keenness 
