98 SEXUAL SELECTION : BIRDS. Part IL 



It is a more curious fact that the males of some birds 

 Avhich are provided with special weapons for battle, and 

 which in a state of nature are so pugnacious that they 

 often kill each other, suffer from possessing certain 

 ornaments. Cock-fighters trim the hackles and cut off 

 the comb and gills of their cocks ; and the birds are 

 then said to be dubbed. An undubbed, bird, as Mr. 

 Teo-etmeier insists, "is at a fearful disadvantao-e : the 

 " comb and gills offer an easy hold to his adversary's 

 ** beak, and as a cock always strikes where he holds, 

 " when once he has seized his foe, he has him entirely 

 " in his power. Even supposing that the bird is not 

 *' killed, the loss of blood suffered by an undubbed cock 

 " is much greater than that sustained by one that has 

 " been trimmed." ^^ Young turkey-cocks iu fighting 

 always seize hold of each other's wattles ; and I pre- 

 sume that the old birds fight in the same manner. It 

 may perhaps be objected that the comb and wattles are 

 not ornamental, and cannot be of service to the birds 

 in this way ; but even to our eyes, the beauty of 

 the glossy black Spanish cock is much enhanced by his 

 white face and crimson comb ; and no one who has ever 

 seen the splendid blue wattles of the male Tragopan 

 pheasant, when distended during the act of courtship, 

 can for a moment doubt that beauty is the object gained. 

 From the foregoing facts we clearly see that the plumes 

 and other ornaments of the male must be of the highest 

 importance to him ; and we further see that beauty in 

 some cases is even more important than success in battle. 



Birds,' vol. xiv. p. 167. On Birds of Paradise, Lesson, quoted by Brehm, 

 ' Thierleben,' B. iii. s. 325. On the widow-bird, Barrow's 'Travels in 

 Africa,' vol. i. p. 243, and 'Ibis,' vol. iii. 1861, p. 133. Mr. Gould, on 

 the shyness of male birds, 'Handbook to Birds of Australia,' vol. i. 

 1865, p. 210, 457. 

 89 Tegetnieier, ' The Poultry Book,' 1866, p. 139. 



