Colouration in Animals and Plants

The author examines the origins and principles of colouration across animals and plants, arguing that decorative patterns arise from structural and functional organization: pigments in transparent forms are applied to organs and the same primitive principles persist in opaque tissues. He proposes a law of emphasis whereby function-localized coloring concentrates, and shows how symmetry and repetition follow from like parts being similarly decorated. The text surveys colour perception, spots and stripes, mimicry and seasonal varieties, and details colouration in protozoa, coelenterates, arthropods, vertebrates and plants, while considering inherited memory as a factor shaping patterns and concluding with general principles illustrated by plates.