“If,” writes Mr Tylor, “we take highly decorated species—that is, animals marked by alternate dark or light bands or spots, such as the zebra, some deer, or the carnivora, we find, first, that the region of the spinal column is marked by a dark stripe; secondly, that the regions of the appendages, or limbs, are differently marked; thirdly, that the flanks are striped or spotted, along or between the regions of the lines of the ribs; fourthly, that the shoulder and hip regions are marked by curved lines; fifthly, that the pattern changes, and the direction of the lines, or spots, at the head, neck, and every joint of the limbs; and, lastly, that the tips of the ears, nose, tail, and feet, and the eyes are emphasised in colour.” More recently Mr J. Lewis Bonhote has devoted much attention to this important subject. The results of his researches are summarised on page 185 of vol. xxix. of the _Proceedings of the Linnæan Society_, and on page 258 of the _Proceedings of the Fourth International Ornithological Congress_, 1905. Mr Bonhote states that the presence or absence of colour tends almost invariably to make its appearance, first of all, on certain definite tracts, common to mammals and birds alike, which he calls _pœcilomeres_. Pœcilomeres “Pœcilomeres,” he writes, “are situated on the following parts, viz., chin, malar stripe, maxillary stripe, a spot above and slightly in front of the eye, a spot below or slightly behind the eye, the ear, crown of the head, occiput, fore-end of sternum, vent, rump, thighs, wrist, shoulders (above and below). “Now, there is hardly any species of bird on which one or more of these pœcilomeres is not ‘picked out’ (to use a painter’s expression) in some colour different from that of the surrounding parts, and, in fact, most of the so-called recognition or protective markings will be found on these patches. “On the other hand, among many species the differentiation of colour on the pœcilomeres is not so conspicuous as to attract the eye or to serve in any way for protection or mimicry, _yet we still find them marked by differences of colour so slight that, unless especially looked for, they would never be noticed_.