Animal coloration : an account of the principal facts and theories relating to the colours and markings of animals / by Frank E. Beddard ; with four coloured plates; and woodcuts in the text.
- Frank Evers Beddard
- Date:
- 1892
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Animal coloration : an account of the principal facts and theories relating to the colours and markings of animals / by Frank E. Beddard ; with four coloured plates; and woodcuts in the text. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![1] they must have some explanation, which may not have been forthcoming. A flagrant instance of lion-adaptive coloration is the green tint of the bones in the fishes Be-lom, Brotopteras and Lepulosiren, in the amphibian Pseudis and in a lizard. This green colour is due to the presence of vivianite. These apparent anomalies can, however, be regarded from another point of view: it cannot be too often or too strongly urged that we are living now among changes in the organic (and inorganic) world just as marked as they were formerly; perhaps even more marked, for the number of species must be greater now than in the very early periods of the world’s history; hence competition is keener. It is therefore not, surprising to tind, among forms that appear to be “ in harmony with the environment,” others that have not been able to move with the times, or that are actually in process of moving. Constancy of Coloiation. It has been urged that the constancy of animal colour indicates utility; domestic animals, it is said, are subject to great variability, which is not seen in their wild relatives; the reason for this is supposed to be the elimination of such varieties among the wild animals. They occur in them just, as much as in the domesticated forms, but these varying indi¬ viduals do not reach maturity, since they are not so suited to cope with the conditions of their natural existence. There are, however, a number of facts that must be considered in relation to this question. Firstly, most of our domestic animals have been domesticated for a long time; so long is this time that in many cases their origin is lost in the obscurity of the past. Who can say, for example, when the dog was first](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b29286517_0025.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
