File:Birds through the year (1922) (14568785400).jpg

Identifier: birdsthroughyear00thom (find matches)
Title: Birds through the year
Year: 1922 (1920s)
Authors: Thomas, William Beach, Sir, 1868-1957 Collet, Anthony Keeling, 1877-
Subjects: Birds -- Great Britain Birds -- Pictorial works
Publisher: London, Edinburgh, T.C. and E.C. Jack, ltd
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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turns to jet-black in the cock,and greyish-black in the hen, by the complete or partialwearing off of the brown tips to the feathers. A Norwegiannaturalist describes the bold black-and-white plumage of thecock as forming a striking contrast to the snowfields andmoorlands which it haunts; and the pattern of the hen isalmost equally distinct. Although there is an obvioussimilarity between the snow-buntings white-splashed plumageand the snowy landscapes which they chiefly haunt, the like-ness has stopped far short of the close imitation seen in thecase of the ptarmigan or mountain hare. The explanation of this degree of imitation seems partlyto be found in the snow-buntings nesting habits. It buildsin cliffs and holes among stones ; and in these comparativelysheltered situations the hen bird does not need to imitateher surroundings so closely as the hen pheasant or wild duckon their open nests among dry brown leaves and herbage.A clue to the protective nature of many strongly contrasted
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* o i WINTER DRESS 305 markings is supplied by the small black spots or patches inthe white coats of all this group of Arctic birds and beasts.The ermine has its black tail-tuft, the mountain hare itsblack ear-tips, and the ptarmigan its black tail-feathers andeye-stripe. In every case there is some definite mark ofcontrast to the general design. Patches of this kind aresometimes explained as recognition marks, enabling onebird or animal of a brood to catch sight of its companionand follow it when hastily changing ground. But if it servedto make its wearer more conspicuous, it would be more likelyto endanger it than assist it. It seems more likely that thereal effect of these contrasted markings is to conceal thewhole outline of the bird or animal by concentrating theattention upon one particular spot. In looking at a birdsitting in an open nest, such as a nightjar or pheasant, theeye is often caught by some particular spot or bar in theplumage without realising that it is part of a l

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