Evening star., 1936-09-17

white and otherwise, serving to break
UP the monotony of the coat as whole.
When we think of the spotted breast
of the wood thrush, then Of the patterns
of sunlight and shade beneath the
trees of the woods, its original habitat.
we see at once that such spots and
features do serve in the general plan
of breaking up the total color of the
creature, thus keeping it from attracting
attention simply by uniformity. Thus
hunk of black, such as lump of
anthracite coal, might attract attention
among leaves, whereas the same lump,
daubed with a few streaks of white,
might not be seen.
1t will be found that small birds, such
as commonly catch insects on the wing,
are light brown or light gray in color,
but often with black and white marks
to take them out of the solid-color
class.
Thus when they pick dead limb on
which to perch, waiting for incautious
insects to fly close to their bills, they
often are hard to see, even by the
human eye equipped with a serviceable
pair of field glasses.
OIlc UllSlC IillIlh, UuIldilu, JlldI any :
thing in the line of spots or bars Of
white, on brown or gray, would serve
merely to call attention to the bird, but
often enough it does not work out that
way for there is, with some exceptions,
no monotony in Nature. Her landscapes
are filled with lights and shadows, in
which small applications OF high colors
fit very well.
Where Nature is monotonous, as on
the Sahara desert, the prevailing king
of beasts is tawny, veritable monotone
himself.
The lion is more or less sand colored,
and here again We may believe that
this protective coloration, so-called, is
not so much to protect him, since there
is little he fears. as to protect him from
being seen by smaller animals until he
can catch them!
AS for the vegetable eaters, which still
have startling patterns on their coats,
how can we fit them into this theory
since they eat no smaller animals. and
hence have no need to protect them
selves against the fears Of the little
ones?
We can't, OF course, and there is no
need to try, for all theories. it must be
kept in mind. are only theories. Science
is the first to admit it, to take pride
in it. After all, theory is just con-
ception, and if common sense and ex-
perimentation finally prove it, it will
still be conception, waiting for new
and larger conceptions to come along.
In a world in which man, as an
animal, has risen out of the dark by
daring mental concepts, aided by his
hands and the work thereof, or by his
hands, aided by mental concepts fol-
lowing, however one chooses to put it, in
such a world the theory has first place,
because of the very nature of thinking.
Thinking is invisible, in itself. A
thought may or may not be true, but
between the inception and the final
proof, if there is any, or if there can be
any, there is a whole world of room for
diverging mind attitudes.
So we may see and believe that no
theory is always true, or even partially
stands the test of even a little time may
have some aspects of truth in it. There
are two we'll known theories as to birds
songs, and the possibility is that neither
is wholly right, but only partially So
Anyway. the birds go right ahead sing
ing. Perhaps the complete and final
why" of anything is beyond mankind.
The scientific theory of coloration in
Nature is better than no theory at all,
that is all. Wasn't there some one who
once said that it is much easier to be-
ieve in God than not to believe in Him?