Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1884-01-17
Bears and Parrots,
WHY THE FORMER ARE WHITE AND
THE LATTER GREEN.

THE LATTER GREEN.
The coloring of animals is to large
extent protective. II enables animals
TO hide from their enemies, who would
otherwise extinguish their species, and
in other instances, where they have
means of defense that warn other ami
mails to keep away, they are highly
colored, so that other animals are
warned to give them wide berth.
For instance, rats, mice, bats and
moles. which seek for food at night,
are dusky hues, while in the light of
day they conceal themselves in their
holes. All the bears in the world are
either brown or black except the polar
bear. which is white. So are most of
the animals of the polar region white !;
that is. of the same color as the snow
and ice which they inhabit, which
similarity of coloring is a means Of
protection from their enemies, mas
much as they are not so readily seen.
Perhaps the musk OK, or musk sheep
which is of dark-brown color, would
seem an exception, but the habits OF
the animal explain this. They are
gregarious, live in aocks, and this is
their means ofprotection; hence if one
s!rays away from the flock it is neces.
sary that they be of dark color, so
that be can see his comrades at a dis
tance. The raven is another instance;
he is black; yet inhabits the regions OF
snow and ice; but he feeds on CARR on,
and has no enemies that think his
body fit food. Armed insects are
highly colored, such rs wasps and bees.
Their very high coloriug shows to other
animals what they are, aud their
poison protects them. Some insects
have so hard a covering that they are
practically uneatable. Others can fly
rapidly, and this Is a protection, 80
that they are given gaudy colorine,
Ike the swift.hying rose chaier. But.
terhies are gayly colored, but they are
Unfit for eating, even when given TO
young turkeys they spit them out. In
Eects are often found on trees and
leaves which are the exact color Of the
food that they seek. This is n pro.
lection. The voice Of the tree toad is
Leard before the rain, yet so exactly
j. he the color Of the limbs on which
Re lies that it is hard to find him
Green oaterpillars feed on green leaves
end their very food serves to hide
them from their enemies. Certain in.
escts called loopcrs can stick them.
selves out rigidly like sticks, which
they 80 much resemble a. 10 be taken
for them. Green and brown cater
pillars are grccdily eaten by birds,
and even by frogs, lizards and SPIDER;
hence they generally feed at night, and
duringthc day remain motionless upon
leaves or twigs Of the same color as
themselves. Bright colored caterpil.
lars, however, are discarded by birds
and always refused by frogs, lizards
and spiders, as if they tasted bad to
them. Parrots that live in the dense
foliage Of green trees are invariably
green, and the birds of high-colored
plumage are tropical, where the color:
cf the flowers and shrubs are brilliant.
Birds that abound in the region oI
dociduous trees are never green, but
brown or olive is the prevailing color
This tint is least perceptible among the
leafess trees and bushes which prevail
for the greater portion Of the year
when prote ction is so much needed.
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