Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-05-01
PUZZLES IN COLORS.

In summer weather ladies, and men,
too. when possible. wear white. Why?
To keep cool, Of course. you will say.
If this br 50, why then are almost all
The Creatures that live in Arctic regions
clothed III white? Tie usual reply is
that The Whit color is for protective
purposes III order, in fact to make
them invisible to their enemies in the
midst Of the wastes Of snow.
Eut consider aganl-is this reason
able? From Wnom does the polar bear:
need to hide? He has no enemies to
tear. And as for the birds which as
sumo 4 white plumase when they mi
CRATE North. surely they also have far
fewer foes in the Polar regions than
hen further south.
Again, if white be q cool color, this
is surely another reason against the
Inhabitants Of the coolest regions turn
ing white at the approach of winter
1t is easy to strengthen this argument
Visit the tropics and you will find hard
~ any white animals or birds. In the
very hottest regions of the globe not
only is man, as a rule, black, but the
birds and beasts are either very dark
or else extremely brilliant in color OF
tropica. birds the CommOneSt colorS run
as fellows: Brown. dark green and
dark blue, emerald green, reds and
ycllows.
Speaking of birds again, why is it
that land birds are mostly dark hued,
while 50 many sea birds are white?
Here is another color puzzle. Almost
all song birds are somber in hue. while
the brightly colored species, such as the
jays, the parrots and birds of paradise,
have naturally harsh voices.
The colors of flowers and leaves Of
fer numbers Of interesting problems
No one quite knows why the prevailing
tint of early spring flowers is Gather
hite or yellow. Yellow, indeed holds
its own to some extent all through the
sumner but he typical color OF sum
| inrr bonmS is pink, while as the au
tumn advances richer crimsuns aud
the rich. glowing hues Of dahliaS am
HI HSanthenlunS are seen.
1lortic'IitnriSts' have produced pop
pies OF pretty nearly every shade I'M
der the Tun, and with many flow er9
they seem able to altar the colorS al
most as they please Yet the blue rose,
TIE black tulip and the green carna-
ton seem as far of as ever they We're
III spit. Of constant efforts to arrive at
them. Manly three centuries ago
Dutch gardeners imagined themselves
| on the verge of inventing a black tu-
| liz.
| The c"'ora If the blossom of fruit
! trees ar'- limited 10 white pink. bright
| scarlet ard purple. The reason no one
| knows. Nor is it clear why nearly all
| plants with purple blossoms have pois-
| onouS properties. The deadly night
shade IS an instance which will be ia
millar to al country readers
| 1t used 10 be said. and many still i'm
| agiiIc. that intensity Of color depends
| upon int, nSity of light. Tie brilliancy
of tropical landscape seems in some
measure to bear this out But any
amount Of arguments may be deduced
against it, Rubies, opals ana other ex-
| qulSite gems are dug from the depths
Of the earth.
| The rays of the sun have never touch
ed them. The pulp Of some fruits Is
| more richly tinted than the outer rind
| while the crimson Llood of animals l.
| hidden from the light. What could De
more rich ANA magnificent in color than
| the wings of many moths Vet these
| are all niglt-tlSins crt1turrs-Pear-
| sons Weekly.