The wanderings of animals / by Hans Gadow.

  • Hans Friedrich Gadow
Date:
1913
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The wanderings of animals / by Hans Gadow. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    there is plenty, often gorgeous and beautiful in colour. Vividly coloured are also many of the other creatures, frogs, snakes, lizards and butterflies. Colour has to be laid on vividly, quiet coloration being out of place. The blooms have begun the race. Red, yellow or white, self-colours, are very effective against the green. If a creature intends to be seen, for beauty’s sake, it has to use bright colours, since it is only by contrast that it can attract attention. Again those which do not want to be seen must dress as loudly, and in tints as saturated, as are the prevailing tones of the en¬ vironment. Most of the tree-frogs are green, unless they are delicate studies in brown with irregular markings to suit the moss- and lichen-coloured branches upon which they rest. Some have ‘ flash colours,’ orange, yellow or red on parts which are quite concealed when the creature sits still. It trusts to not being discovered ; but touch him and there is a flash of yellow in the air, which vanishes in a moment, the frog also vanishing. He has dazzled his pursuer by this sudden and unexpected display of colour, has then caught hold of a leaf with some of his adhesive finger disks, vaulted on to it and there sits demurely indistinguishable from the foliage. Many tree-snakes are green and so are many parrots, motmots and other typical tropical forest birds. Other parrots, pigeons, toucans are loudly
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