File:The American Museum journal (c1900-(1918)) (18160909045).jpg

Title: The American Museum journal
Identifier: americanmuseumjo18amer (find matches)
Year: c1900-(1918) (c190s)
Authors: American Museum of Natural History
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: New York : American Museum of Natural History
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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I'ika. tyiM' of coiu'ealinj; coluratiuii anid)t)t'ss being a survival factor, and very many others as to which this is not so: and that among the latter are mimerous animals with a conspicuous or advertising or revealing or directive coloration — I care not which t(>rm is used.i This is the point at issue. Professor T.ongley apparently takes the ground that animal conspicuous- ness does not exist in natun'. lie says he is "impressed by the uniform ab- sence of effort to demonstrate that cou- s))icuousness exists." by various ol)serv- crs. including myself, and adds, "tliat the conspicuousness so lightly a>>iinici; is a subjective phenomenon is capal)le i>\' demonstration." and )>roceeds to "demonstrate" tliat \ am in ermr when I speak of a /iniin/lnirli' as conspicuou.- ' Tilt-re has. Iiitlicrto tx-fn no snrcossful effort to answer my articles in whirli I discussed Mr. Tlia\eri sweepiiie theories: Professor I,oii>:ley cer- tainly do<'K not : and if he will turn to Mr. Heelie's l«M)k al.ove mentioned (pp. 104-108). he will find, in a purely incidental allusion to coloration, the kiiid of recorded observation which really does help to throw a little licht on the siilijeit. 1)V saying that other obxTVer?- have mistakenly thought red fisli to be con- spicuous I I would really like to know just how rrot'essor Longley regards this as a "demonstration." He refuses to "grant that there are conspicuous animals." and "demonstrates" that sucli animals as prongbucks are in- conspicuous by saying that red fishes live in the dark and come to the open surface only by night, having nocturnal feeding habits I Would he regard this statement as to red fishes to be "demon- strated" to be erroneous by my point- ing out that ml liir()s. such as tanagers, cardinals, tiaiiiingos. and macaws, are diurnal r Now. as to the failure to "demon- strate" that "conspicuousness exists,"' as ill the case of the prongbuck: the troiiiilc i- in (lem<mstrating the self- ex idcni. ir I were asked to "demon- strate" that a lilack coal scuttle on a white -licet, or ;i crow on a snowbank. is cons;iicU(»us. I sluuild be rather puz- zled to know where to begin; and a Kockv Mountain goat or a cock ostrich is normallv a- conspicuous as (he coal •Jl.'i

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