A first book in organic evolution

by D. Kerfoot Shute

The white-headed fruit pigeon (Ptilopus cinctus) is a very conspicuous bird when taken from its native haunts. It has a pure white neck and head, black back, yellow belly, and well-marked, deeply-curved black band across the breast, and black wings. It is a handsome as well as very conspicuous bird. It frequents trees that are a species of Eucalyptus in the island of Timor, and which have very open foliage and yellowish or whitish bark. The pigeons may be sitting motionless on exposed branches of the tree during the glaring heat of the day. The yellow and white bark of the tree, the deep blue sky seen through the openings of the leaves, with the intense tropical sunlight casting black shadows of one branch upon another, make color effects that harmonize so completely with the color patterns of the pigeons that they are entirely invisible.[8] Here again the complete color adaptation of the pigeons to their environment has been accomplished through the agency of Natural Selection,—Nature selecting those pigeons most frequently that varied most in the direction of useful color patterns, by concealing them from their enemies, the hawks.

There are some birds that are not protectively colored, which therefore do not possess a local color adaptation. The common raven, which inhabits the Arctic regions, is black instead of being white. The raven is found as far north as any known bird or mammal. It is a powerful and fearless bird, and needs no protective coloring; and since it feeds on dead animals it needs no concealing coloration to enable it to secure its food.

The bright and conspicuous coloration of many birds’ eggs have often been looked upon as a difficulty on the theory of adaptive coloration. But Wallace thinks that a careful consideration of the subject in all its bearings shows that in a great number of cases these colorations are instances of protective coloration. He further thinks that when we cannot see the meaning of the particular colors, we may suppose that in some ancestral forms they have been protective, and, being harmless, have persisted under changed conditions which rendered the protection needless. He states, in illustrating the protective coloration of eggs, that “the beautiful blue or greenish eggs of the hedge-sparrow, the song-thrush, the blackbird, and the lesser redpole, seem at first sight especially calculated to attract attention; but it is doubtful whether they are really so conspicuous when seen at a little distance among their surroundings. For the nests of these birds are either in evergreens, as holly or ivy, or surrounded by the delicate green tints of the early spring vegetation, and may thus harmonize very well with the colors around them. The great majority of the eggs of our smaller birds are so spotted or streaked with brown or black on variously tinted grounds, that when lying in the shadow of the nests and surrounded by the many colors and tints of bark and moss, of purple buds and tender green or yellow foliage, with all the complex glittering lights and mottled shades produced among these by the spring sunshine and by the sparkling raindrops, they must have a quite different aspect from that which they possess when we observe them away from their natural surroundings.” We have here, probably, according to Wallace, a similar case, of general protective harmony, to that of the green caterpillars with beautiful white or purple bands and spots, which, though gaudily conspicuous when seen alone, become practically invisible among the complex lights and shadows of the foliage they feed upon.

Eggs that are not protectively colored are usually white or of some uniform pale color, and are concealed by the birds in covered nests or in holes in trees or in the ground. Many birds lay white eggs in open nests, but even here the devices for concealing them are very effective and interesting. In some cases, such as the partridge, the goat-sucker, and others, the birds have the habit of sitting close and almost continuously on the eggs. These birds are protectively colored. Ducks, pheasants, and other birds have the habit of covering their white eggs with dead leaves or other material when they leave the nest. There are some large and powerful birds that lay conspicuous white eggs in open nests. Such are the cormorants, herons, storks, pelicans, and others. But they guard their nests carefully, and are able to drive away any enemies.

It is thus seen that there are many devices by which birds’ eggs are protected, and these have all been developed through the agency of Natural Selection. For example, those exposed eggs of timid birds that varied most in the direction of protectively colored ones were the ones that were most likely to be overlooked by egg-eating creatures, and those that were least protectively colored, and therefore the most conspicuous, were the ones most likely to be destroyed. The protectively colored eggs being thus, in the nature of things, the ones that have suffered less destruction from enemies, have developed into birds that have transmitted, by heredity, their characteristics to succeeding generations of birds’ eggs. And thus in the course of time have many of the colorations of eggs been developed from simple to elaborate patterns.

Many snakes, frogs, butterflies, caterpillars, and so on, are colored green in harmony with the foliage of the trees among which they live. By being colored green these animals are more or less effectually hidden from their enemies, such as carnivorous birds. If they were not concealed by protective coloration they would quickly be exterminated by hungry and greedy enemies. The green frogs are greatly protected by their colors from their enemies, the green snakes. If they were not so colored, they would quickly be exterminated by these snakes. Even protectively colored as they are, large numbers of them are caught by the snakes, which are also protectively colored and keener witted. It may be stated that the protectively colored frogs are hunting for their food, the protectively colored insects; but, at the same time, they try to avoid their protectively colored enemies, the snakes, though they are often caught; the protectively colored snakes are hunting for their food, the frogs, but, in their green surroundings, endeavor to avoid their enemies, the reptile-eating birds, though often unsuccessful. And so on, from day to day, the tragedies of the animal world are enacted.

It may be well to pause a moment here and ask why it is that animals are not completely exterminated which are thus perpetually being persecuted and preyed upon by stronger foes. Why, for instance, are any frogs left in a green locality, when they are so eagerly sought for by their enemies, the snakes? What are the factors that permit the average or normal number of them to exist in the given locality? The most important of them have already been referred to separately, but it will be useful to recapitulate, briefly, a few of them now. One of the most important of them is the tendency of the frogs to increase in geometrical ratio. In the breeding season great numbers of young are brought into the world, thus reinforcing the depleted ranks of the adults. Another factor is the instinctive effort of each frog to avoid its enemies, and their protective coloration greatly facilitates their concealment and escape. Another factor is the circumstance that the snakes also have enemies. They must be wary and careful in hunting prey lest they be unduly exterminated by their foes, the snake-eating animals. Then another factor is the alternating day and night, by which the warfare, offensive and defensive, must be periodically checked. Then again, the hibernating season, winter, checks or rather suspends the life-destroying crusades. It may thus be recognized that many complex factors occur to explain the circumstance that a given locality generally contains the normal number of individuals that constitute the species of frogs.

The complex factors at work in these relations and inter-relations of animals and plants are so nicely balanced that with a comparatively stable environment the number of species of the different classes of animals may remain more or less constant. But suppose one of these factors is profoundly diminished, such, for instance, as a great diminution in the number of the snake-eating birds. Then the snakes, not being much persecuted by their enemies, will be in a most favorable environment; they will increase greatly in numbers; they will be eagerly on the look-out for their food, the frogs; the frogs, being thus unusually persecuted and hard-pressed, will diminish greatly in numbers. Now, this will be a golden opportunity for the insects; their environment becomes much more favorable. The snakes do not bother the insects, but destroy their enemies, the frogs. Therefore, the insects increase greatly in numbers and profoundly affect the vegetation upon which they live and thrive. The injury to the vegetation may thus seriously affect an altogether different class of animals—the grass-eating or foliage-eating animals, like the ruminants.

It may thus be understood how profoundly complex are the relations and correlations of living creatures, and how a disturbance of some of the links in these living chains may very extensively affect the other links. The different creatures referred to above are probably the simplest illustrations that can be given of protectively colored animals. For here we have green animals adapted to a green environment—the green foliage of trees or grass. This adaptation has been brought about by Natural Selection. Suppose, for instance, that the habitat of the non-protectively colored ancestors of the frogs was for any reason unduly crowded by their enemies, the snakes. The frogs would be hard pressed and much persecuted. Suppose that among the young of these frogs there were some that varied in the direction of grass-green or leaf-green colors, while others did not so vary, or possibly varied in the direction of even conspicuous colors, such as black or white. It is evident that the latter groups would be easily detected by the snakes and destroyed, while the green group would frequently escape notice and would thrive and procreate their kind. This process being repeated generation after generation, there would come a time when the given habitat would contain none but frogs with a protective coloration of green. All of these protective colorations of snakes, butterflies, and caterpillars, as well as of frogs, are adaptations. They are illustrations of the survival of the fittest; the survival of those best adapted to their environment—in short, Natural Selection.