The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1897-12-02
AN ARrlsr,s DISCOVERY.
How Nature Has Wisely coioFed the
Birds.

low Nature Has Wisely Colored the
Birds.
An exceedingly interesting natural X
aw has been discovered by the dlstin- y
gulshed artist. Mr.. Abbott Fl. Thayer,
who Is an ardent observer Of bird life.
He, with his artists eye for light and
shade, discovered what the naturallsts,
their acquaintance
with many varieties OF Initiative aud
protective cOloratlon in animals, had
as yet failed TO elueidate the reason
why the under parts Of fishes. reptiles,
mammals. birds, aud even insects are
so generally white or light. II Is law
which can be very simply stated thus.
Animals are painted by nature dark
est on those parts which tend to he
most lighted by the sky's light. and Vice
versa"
OF course. out.of-doors the light comes
commonly from above. aud thus the
majority OF wild creatures are darker
on their backs and lighter below, where
the shadow of their own bodies upon
the lighter color tends TO equa.ize Il |
with that OF the upper parts. Thus, a 1
dead bird with wOod-colored back. /
lighter shades on wing aud sides and
a white breast may look. when held In
the hand. as il the conspicuous. sllvery
brilliance OF the breast feathers would
easily betray ii to the eye OF search
ing enemy. Not at all. 1t would be
much more easily discovered IL II were
dull brown all over. This Mr.. Thayer
proved at an Open-alr meeting OF ornl-
biologists In Cambridge last November
by series OF eieyerly devised expert
ments.
He placed three objects OF about the
size and shape of sweet potatoes-ln
fact, they were sweet potatoes-horl-
zontally ON wires few inches above
the ground. They were covered with =
sticky material. and then dry earth
from the road where they stood was
sprinkled over them to give them tht
very color of their background. Dr. Q
Hart Merriam, in report Of this tau
to Science, says:
The two end ones were painte'
white on the under side, and the whit
color was shaded up and gradually mis-
ed with the brown OF the sides.
when viewed from little distance
these two end ones, which were whi'
- below, disappeared from sight, viii
the middle one stood out in strong r
.as lief, and appeared much darker than
,ha really was. Mr.. Thayer explained tn
terrestrial birds and mammals, whlt
ton are protectiyely colored, have the und
hat parts white. or very light In color, al
. in that the color of the under parts usu.
,rst ly shades gradually into that OF I
40 upper parts.
mar. This is essential in order to count
thu- act the effect OF the shadow side. viii
Ions otherwise, as shown by the mild
,ner potato, makes the object abnorma
and conspicuous, and causes II to app,
oted much darker than It really Is.
, d. I'm the case of Mr.. Thayer's exp
the ment, some of the witnesses could ha
e OF ~ believe that the striking dlffere
In the visibility OF the three potat
tltu- was entirely due to the colorng of
nlral under side, and Mr.. Thayer was as
base, to color the middle one like the
{ the others In order that the effect nigh
gage observed. Mr.. Thayer complied '
more the request, painting the under sid
the middle potato white, and shat
n I'M the white up into the sides, as In
She case OF the others.
ship, .,rhe effect was almost magical
II she middle potato at once disappeared
was view.
0 the "a similar experiment was mad
was the lawn Two potatoes were pai
after green, to resemble the green OF
/, ana grass above which they were susI
Ports ed. One was painted white on III
taken der side, and at once became inv
zebra when viewed from little dist
exist while the other showed plainly
Gently .ao,,,aa vory dark tho shadow 8
s. anu added to the green OF the under
Oh Tue making It remarkably conspic
lig'ou The experiments were an oyerw
49,. ing success
le'olS' The rule of natural colorlng
10 Mr.. Thayer thus perceived like a
w. IN, list and proved Ike scientist
general throughout the animal
-. dom, and of such Importance !
0'"se serving species from destruction
many naturalists declare him tc
made, not merely remarkable
-, af,, cry, but great discovery.