New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-04-30
Literary Nes0s and Criticism

! breasts and bellies is a. dark as that ot
J their backs. But. thanks TO ;heir size
and strength and ferocitv. these great
apes belong IN part 20 ti,e class OF I'm
mune beasts while they also lack the
need o. ob;l,erative coloraticn for Of
/ fence which the truly rap2cious animals
have. The orang-oUtang Of Rorneo is
described as being the king Of its native
/ jungles. dreadirg only man: and we may
well assume. that the huge gorilla OF
Central Africa enjoys equal privileges"
Again be remarks that in the costumes
Of many bats the countershading is de-
fective or altogether lacking. but he
/ goes on to show how this is in keeping
with their needs and habits.
II IL. indeed. = wonderfully conprehen-
sive and illuminating survey 80 nature
/ that IS made in this hook. Birds and
beasts. fishes and reptiles. are studied
not in a laboratory with the aid Of
theory. but in their natural habitats
with the eve Of the artist who realizes
that the whole problem is an optical one
4 excluding those questions Of sound and
scent Of which the hunter. whether
scientifically minded or not. is wont 10
make 50 much. Scent and sound have
their parts 20 play IN the warfare waged
eternally IN the animal kingdom. but IL
/ is the sense Of sight that necessarily de-
termines the last flashing instant Of
/ triumph or defeat. Of disaster or escape.
II is hard TO relinquish this precious
volume. every page Of which unfolds
some new and enhancing episode in
natures miraculous plan OF concealing
coloration. There is the American great
/ horned owl, with its wings bearing "a
beautifully suggestive picturing Of vari-
ously extended vistas through the twigs
! and tree trunks" There are the birds
whose obliterative shading is consum-
mately adapted to the erect climbing
position in which they spend their lives.
I There is the South American jacsna-
whose shading lasts through youth, when
/ IL needs il. and disappears as With Its
full growth il is provided with protec-
4 tive spurs There are types Of ''obliters-
ton by iridescence," and there are those.
/ both birds and mammals, for whom the
trick is turned by their appendages. We
wish that we could translate into words
! the demonstration given in one Of the
oolored Illustrations Of the success with
which the copperhead snake may lose
/ itself from the eye Of man on A bed
/ OF dead leaves. But We must he con-
/ tent instead. with the citation Of one
/ passage from the section on mammals:
! While the beasts OF the open land, such
as lions, kangaroos and many hares. are
notable for their almost complete lack OF
markings, although oblterauVSly shaded
and tinted 20 a high degree. the costumes
OF many az the forest haunting and tree
climbing mammals are characterized by
strong and beautiful picture patterns.
Among these there is PERHAPS none more
potent ana remarkable than the checkered
sun f7eck and leaf shadow pattern worn by
other sylvan mammals. and even by some
SnakeS-e. e. several or the great con-
strictors II varies. Of course, from species
70 species, but its essential character is
a always the same. and u is always the
handmade Of complete obliteratlTe shading.
4 Who has not noticed in the forest the flick
ering play u circular cor brokenl sun fiecks
and branched, encornps ssing leaf shadows?
. There IS no more typical and familiar
sylvan sight. Where the forests crown is
not too dense this beautiful tremulous pat
tern marks all the brown ground where tie
matted dead leaves lie, and even checkers
/ the sioes and bases Of some of the upright
1 trunks, and the tops and sides Of the
! naked lower branches. In deeper woods.
] MLlele The lea1aEe is extremely I'll ana
/ crowded. little or none Of this sun engen-
/ dered pattern pcnetrates TO the ground,
/ which then is clOaked in uniform and
quiet shade. But somewhere between the
dim brown ground and the green and
Eaudy flashing tree tops there is always
q large intermediate tract where, amid
trunks and spreading branches twigs and
scattered leaves, the checkered pattern
Tcigns supreme. dancing softly on the
upper size OF eEerything; and, helped by
the varied glintinE OF the lower leaves
/ themselves. il transmutes all that portion
7 OF the forest into a shimmering disorder OF
small. shattered lights ana shadows. in
which the actual solid details seem mex
/ tricably merged. To witness this effect
in fun one must, Of course. look at the
/ scene from a point somewhat q boTe IL. but
! the pattern one sees in looking upiCard
/ through the forest leaves. where they are
! not 50 crowded as quite 10 hide the sky. is
! of much the same nature. Indeed. this lat
ter sort Is in some respects more like that
worn by lcopards. etc. than is the true
sun hcck pattern. For the predominant
7 effect 81 the lcouard's rarter1 and Of thst
made by leaves against the sky. is or SYM
metTical dark marks on an irregular light
neutrality-suspicious. which the sun feck
pattern inNeTts, except where IL is exceed
iDGly prOfuse. But what We see on the
hides Of these checkered sylvan beasts is
really an apt and Efficient generalization Of
this entire class OF forest patterns. inCiud-
ing the much used picfuriHq Of holes, done
iu al brown ana black and golden forest
interior color.
There is another brief forest note
which he must add to this. charmingly
illustrative as II is Of the spirit in which
the whole book IS written. Abiding TO
the brilliantly lighted outern1ost Dor
Ger Of the forest" where the winged
creatures have their sphere, the author
says: "Metaphorically speaking. birds
and butterflies are creatures OF the grave
and ponderous globes exterior effiores-
cence Of the coIorcd foam at the outer
most edge Of things. OF the borderland
between earth and sky. while mammals,
man included. are citizens Of the sober
underworld obviously. this is not the
book Of that abhorrent type. the Juice
Jess specialist" whose knowledge of
facts IS unai6ed h. 10 more than plod-
ding pen. Mr.. Thayer is an artist: 50 is
his son. and the labor Of love in which
they have collaborated. while marked by
ali the virtues Of the scientist. is made,
through their feeling for BEAUTY, a beau
tiful and enkindling thing. With its
generous array OF exquisite Illustrations
this is the perfect record Of an achieve
nent deeply significant to naturslists all
the world over.
FICTION