Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 2 (1898).djvu/495

Rh relates of a Lioness that was killed, "she had four unborn whelps, with downy skins, striped like the Tiger." It still appears that the young of many unicolorous animals are spotted. "Pigs and Tapirs are banded and spotted when young; an imported young specimen of Tapirus bairdi was covered with white spots in longitudinal rows, here and there forming short stripes. Even the Horse, which Darwin supposes to be descended from a striped animal, is often spotted, as in dappled Horses; and great numbers show a tendency to spottiness, especially on the haunches."

Similar markings are to be found in the young of many fishes. Larval Cod have black transverse bars, "the stellate black chromatophores arranged in bands are clearly indicated." Young Ling (Molua molva), when grown to a length of seven inches, pass through a very distinct barred stage. The young of all the Salmonidse are barred; "and this is so constantly the case that it may be used as a generic, or even as a family character, not being peculiar to Salmo alone, but also common to Thymallus, and probably to Coregonus." When the fry have attained a length of some four inches, they are known by the name of " parr," and "bear conspicuously on their bodies transverse marks or bars, which are common to the young of every member of the Salmon family." Even as regards the colouring of British land and freshwater Mollusca, the view has been held that Helix cantiana, H. cartusiana, &c, were once banded species.

Taking the cases of the Lion, Puma, and Cheetah, we see that the two first, unicolorous in their adult stage, apparently show by their spotted young a derivation from a similarly coloured ancestor, whilst the spotted Cheetah, from the apparent evidence of its unicolorous young, would point to a totally different conclusion. But the cumulative opinion of evolutionists is that all