COLOUR AND PATTERN
Sir,-Professor L. R. Richardson seems to take a great délight in challenging evolution concepts which are so obviously grounded on facts that they hardly require defending. Possibly, however, he provides a goodly store of ammunition. for the anti-evolutionists, very few of whom are field naturalists, and who, for the most part, live in a world of printed words. The professor’s latest windmill’ is the concept of colour and pattern adaptation in animal life which, of course, implies usefulness; and this he denies. One cannot deal here with all the points he raises, but there is one I feel will not be very convincing even to the anti-evolutionist, namely, that the idea of warning colouration is untenable when many startlingly marked snakes are noctural. The inference is that nocturnal snakes are only seen in the dark, so that their startling markings are useless as a warning device, But. even nocturna] snakes are seen in the daytime. Personally, if I wanted a peaceful, undisturbed daylight nap in the jungle, I’d prefer a blanket having a colour pattern matching that of the. wickedest nocturnal snake in the district.
W. B.
BROCKIE
(Wellington),
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 29, Issue 736, 21 August 1953, Page 5
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192COLOUR AND PATTERN New Zealand Listener, Volume 29, Issue 736, 21 August 1953, Page 5
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