"RAINBOW UNIFORMS"

"The experience of this war may lead to the trial of soldiers' uniforms striped like the zebra or banded by the colours of the rainbow, in the opinion of some military observers, who have serious doubts as to the effectiveness of khaki or any of the other plain colours now in use.

"In India and South Africa, where khaki got its reputation as a uniform cloth, it fitted well into the background of the landscape, but in the different atmosphere and landscapes of Europe, khaki shows up conspicuously.

"Nature, the colour experts now say, did not stripe the zebra by way of ornament, but as a protective measure. It is the unbroken mass of colour, no matter of what shade, that catches the eye in the distance. Colonel Maude recounts an instance in India when his party, approaching a parade ground from a distance, were unable to see but one of three battalions until comparatively close up. The troops all wore scarlet jackets. But two battalions were made invisible by white belts and cross straps, which broke the mass of colour, while the conspicuous body had dark straps, which blended in with the red.

"Tigers, leopards and birds and most living creatures use a spotted colouring. As a landscape has all colours in it, striped large checks or variegated blotches of different colours are the easiest to melt into the background."