Open AccessThe iridescent colours of birds and insects
Author(s) -
Lord Rayleigh
Publication year - 1930
Publication title -
proceedings of the royal society of london. series a, containing papers of a mathematical and physical character
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2053-9150
pISSN - 0950-1207
DOI - 10.1098/rspa.1930.0136
Subject(s) - iridescence , object (grammar) , action (physics) , balance (ability) , communication , biology , zoology , psychology , ecology , computer science , artificial intelligence , physics , neuroscience , quantum mechanics
It cannot be said that there is yet general agreement as to the origin of the brilliant iridescent colours met with in the animal kingdom, though the balance of opinion attributes them in most if not in all cases to interference of light rather than to any action of pigmentary substances. In the present paper it has been my object to apply methods of investigation which seemed to have been insufficiently exploited by previous workers, in the hope of obtaining further evidence, rather than of supporting any preconceived ideas. On account of this method of attack the record of work will be subdivided rather according to the form of experiment than according to the animal species investigated.