Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 4 (1900).djvu/364

334 Finally, I must mention the notes on the colouration of the Cat tribe. After referring to Darwin's remarks on the stripes occurring on young Lions, and also to Steedman's observation that these markings are likewise fœtal (p. 462), Mr. Distant proceeds to say: "It seems more in consonance with present knowledge and opinion to consider that spots, though primitive, were not original, and succeeded, not preceded, unicolorous ornamentation, which has survived only where it has been more or less in unison with the creature's environment, and so afforded aggressive protection, as in the case of the Lion" (p. 464). Seeing that the fœtal markings distinctly prove that, at least, the immediate ancestors of the Lion were striped animals, and that therefore its present unicolorous coat must have been subsequently acquired, it is certainly difficult to understand how this animal can be adduced as a survival of a supposed primitive assimilative colouration!

In conclusion, I can only regret that my notes on Mr. Distant's paper have been perforce entirely critical. Although I, as a selectionist, cannot regard as sound the suggestions which he puts forward, I can still appreciate their value in drawing attention to these interesting topics. And I trust that some reader of the 'Zoologist,' more competent to discuss these matters than myself, will in turn point out any errors that may exist in my own arguments and contentions; for it is only by healthy discussion, followed by more careful observation and experiment, that we can hope to attain a true insight into those large biological problems, the solution of which is the ultimate aim of all natural science.— (Salisbury, Mashonaland).