1866-1872] SEXUAL SELECTION 69 



I can ask no one who will not allow me the privilege of a Letter 436 

 poor old invalid ; for talking, I find by long and dear-bought 

 experience, tries my head more than anything, and I am 

 utterly incapable of talking more than half an hour, except 

 on rare occasions. 



I fear this note is very badly written ; but I was very ill 

 all yesterday, and my hand shakes to-day. 



To J. Jenner Weir. Letter 437 



4, Chester Place, Regent's Park, N.W., March 22nd [1868]. 



I hope that you will not think me ungrateful that I have 

 not sooner answered your note of the i6th ; but in fact I 

 have been overwhelmed both with calls and letters ; and, alas ! 

 one visit to the British Museum of an hour or hour and a half 

 does for me for the whole day. 



I was particularly glad to hear your and your brother's 

 statement about the " gay >; deceiver-pigeons. 1 I did not at 

 all know that certain birds could win the affections of the 

 females more than other males, except, indeed, in the case 

 of the peacock. Conversely, Mr. Hewitt, I remember, states 

 that in making hybrids the cock pheasant would prefer 

 certain hen fowls and strongly dislike others. I will write 

 to Mr. H. in a few days, and ask him whether he has 

 observed anything of this kind with pure unions of fowls, 

 ducks, etc. I had utterly forgotten the case of the ruff, 2 but 

 now I remember having heard that it was polygamous ; but 

 polygamy with birds, at least, does not seem common enough 

 to have played an important part. So little is known of 

 habits of foreign birds : Wallace does not even know whether 

 Birds of Paradise are polygamous. Have you been a large 

 collector of caterpillars ? I believe so. I inferred from a 

 letter from Dr. Wallace, of Colchester, that he would account 

 for Mr. Stainton and others rearing more female than male 

 by their having collected the larger and finer caterpillars. 

 But I misunderstood him, and he maintains that collectors 

 take all caterpillars, large and small, for that they collect the 



1 Some cock pigeons " called by our English fanciers gay birds are 

 so successful in their gallantries that, as Mr. H. Weir informs me, they 

 must be shut up, on account of the mischief which they cause." 



3 The ruff, Machetes pugnax, was believed by Montagu to be 

 polygamous. Descent of Man, Ed. I., Vol. I., p. 270. 



