Tarnung im Tierreich

Introduction: The rugged outline of a mountain peak looks like a human face; the markings on a moth show a skull and crossbones. Mere coincidences we say, and dismiss the matter as another freak of nature. But when we come across an animal that looks like a leaf or a twig, we begin to wonder. This likeness must be more than chance--it must play an important part in the animal's survival. This brings us straight to the crux of our problem: the function of outward appearances. We have all seen insects that are the color of bark and brooding pheasant hens whose feathers seem like the fleeting shadows of their nesting ground. We may have chanced upon a moth whose only protection is the coloring that makes it resemble a wasp. Each of these animals pretends to be something it is not, and it does this in order to survive. Modern armies use camouflage to protect their soldiers, guns, ships, and military installations; the result is proof positive of the defensive value of such techniques. The reader will not be surprised then, if we tell him that our subject has played a prominent part in all discussions about the origin and the evolution of living organisms. Charles Darwin was one of the first to stress the importance of camouflage, and since his day the subject has formed one of the strands of biological theory. This is not to say that the authorities all agree. What some choose to explain as camouflage, others describe in altogether different terms. A host of experimenters has set out to prove the various theories, but always with perfect scientific detachment. The problem of mimicry, in particular, has become a veritable no man's land of biological battle. These are things our book will explore. Casting our glance over a vast canvas, we shall try to trace the meaning of some of the colorful brush strokes that went into its painting.