New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-04-30
How Birds and Beasts Have a
Chance for Their Lives.

ard Pattern: Being q Summary OF
Abbott u. 'rhayers DISCOVERIES . By
tory essay by A. IL Thsyer- Illustrated
by Abbott IL Thaver. Gerald Il Thayei
Richard s. Neryrnau end others, and
with photographs. sto. pp xix, go The
Macmillan Company.
Mr.. Thayer is the last man in the
world 20 attempt 10 ''humanize" the
creatures 81 the animal Kingdom. after
the fashion % the nature faker," and
his son. who in this volume summarizes
his discoveries. is equally free from the
disposition 10 turn fact into fiction. Yet
the immediate APPEAL Of their work is
one 10 the imagination. touching the
reader with p sense 81 natures magic
and mystery As we become absorbed
tn these pages We seem 10 he looking
on 81 the endless drama OF the woods
and waters the struggle for existence
IN which birds, beasts and fishes are
perpetually engaged, snd as We watch
The great spectacle We almost breath
iesslv recognize the play n IN In
scrutable purpose behind the dark tangle
~ the natural world. Mr.. Thayer can
not blame ms II. through his discoveries.
We srp-ehend p scientific matter IS haV-
tus q more than scientific significance;
though he asks us merely 10 grasp Ger
tain truths. he must allow us 20 be CRATE
ful 70 him for making winged and four
footed things more beautiful than ever
thev were before. More beautiful. that
e.. because enveloped IN the glamour Of
o tremendous idoa.
Just what that idea is cannot easily
be stated in bald terms. II is best ap-
preached through a moments considera-
rion 81 what naturaiists have hitherto
believed 10 be the secret of protective
coloration--nauelv. the esta blishment Of
sn identity Of color between a given
object and Cts background. Thus, you
would say. roughly, that a bird or but
feray not readily discovered in tree
or p bush looked like" the web q
tvtgs and LEAKAGE against which * had
paused. because & possessed kindred
colors and markings. Much hinges upon
shat because" Take. for example. q.
Plymouth Rock hen and place it against
p background made OF the fat skins Of
similar hens. You would expect the
living creature 20 achieve - once a Ger
tain degree OF invisibility. Mr.. Thsyer
makes precisely this test. and. as IS
plainly 20 be seen from his photograph,
n more striking demonstration Of the
powerlessness 81 mere similar cclors 70
conceal could hardly he devised" What.
ther. accounts for the fsct-familiar u
generations Of men. but unexplained I'M
I'll Mr.. Thaver hit upon the secret-that
many Of the inhabitants - the animal
kingdom remain. under the right condi-
rions. indisunEuishable from their en-
viroument? II IS not simply that the
patterns on their coats. both as regards
line and color. are adjusted to the nature
Of their surrounding: it is that these pat
terms are Nitalized as kind Of protec-
tive armor ny tho play of light and
shade. Animals are painted hy nature
darkest on those parts which tend 10
DE most lighted by the sl1ys light, and
vice versa" and the not result is that
"the two effects cancel each other so
that the animals approach something
like inlisiblity. The point is extremely
difficult 10 set forth without the aid Of
diagrams and other examples, but we
may. perhaps. clarity il a little by add
inE that while the model 81 4 bird
painted green al over and placed against
n green background would be unquali-
hcdly conspicuous. the countcrshadinE Of
tho same model according 10 nature
would cause 81 20 melt into the back
ground. Where this process among the
actual living creatures becomes fas-
cinating is I'm the artistic subtlety with
la
developed. As Mr.. Thayer explains. II
s. as though nature painted picture
Uron Tho dress Of bird or beast, a picture
reproducing the general character Of the
scene i'm which II lives
AZ nature paints this picture, too, she
assumes life I'm the bird or beast: that
g.. the maintenance OF a normal posi-
ton. As the male ruTcd grouse stands
up in the forest in the remarkable illus
trstion painted by Nr Gerald Thayer-
end admirably printed in colors-you can
see how his Coloration repeats the notes
IN the background and perfectly Goa
lesoes" with them. II the bird. dead.
we've 70 be flung upon its side on the
same spot. il would Immediately stick
out q the picture with a violent asser-
ton ~ Itself Tor the equilibrium Of its
shading. the play Of light essential 10 its
safety amid the normal conditions Of ex-
fstenCe. would ne destroyed. Three little
halftones set upon one page delightfully."-
illustrate this argument IN one Of them
tho hrooding bird is scarcely TO be made
out on its nest among the leaves. IN the
other two. wherein the bird is shown
dead and in unnatural positions. 81 is
etartinely conspicuous. II is as though
one were TO say That oipliterative shad-
tag were p conscious function Of the
body. effective while the win endures
end Withdrawn ~ the touch 81 death n
IS ss though nature gave to her creatures
p weapon 70 use n the battle for life. q
uespon fabricated ~ her own light and
cir. and rea beorbed n into herself The
fnsfant the fight had been los. At sew
e5al POINTS ar Thayer helps rs 20 under
stand this b. glaIciug at certain eNCep-
fio,ls lie rctcs that among apes and
MONEYS the wan, Of pronounced
co,lilter shadire = by - means nm
common though r. does not oharscter-
So -he majority - species" and before
YOU may attach meaning - this OK
rer.fIo.r .firlical 20 lis discovery he con-