Chap. XIV. GRADATION OF CHARACTERS. 145 



gated in a transverse direction. It differs also from 

 the other spots by being bordered on its upper side 

 with some dull fulvous shading. But this spot is not in 

 any way more remarkable than those on the plumage 

 of many birds, and might easily be quite overlooked. 

 The next higher spot in eacli row does not differ at all 

 from the upper ones in the same row, although in 

 the following series it becomes, as we shall see, greatly 

 modified. The larger spots occupy exactly the same 

 relative position on this feather as those occupied by the 

 perfect ocelli on the longer wing-feathers. 



By looking to the next two or three succeeding 

 secondary wing-feathers, an absolutely insensible gra- 

 dation can be traced from one of the above-described 

 lower spots, together with the next higher one in the 

 same row, to a curious ornament, which cannot be called 

 an ocellus, and which I will name, from the want of a 

 better term, an " elliptic ornament." These are shewn 

 in the accompanying figure (fig. 58). We here see 

 several oblique rows, A, B, C, D (see the lettered dia- 

 gram), &c., of dark spots of the usual character. Each 

 row of spots runs down to and is connected with one of 

 the elliptic ornaments, in exactly the same manner as 

 each stripe in fig. 56 runs down to, and is connected with, 

 one of the ball-and-socket ocelli. Looking to any one 

 row, for instance, B, the lowest spot or mark (h) is 

 thicker and considerably longer than the upper spots, 

 and has its left extremity pointed and curved upwards. 

 This black mark is abruptly bordered on its upper side 

 by a rather broad space of richly-shaded tints, beginning 

 with a narrovr brown zone, which passes into orange, 

 and this into a pale leaden tint, with the end towards 

 the shaft much paler. This mark corresponds in every 

 . respect with the larger, shaded spot, described in the 

 last paragraph (fig. 57), but is more highly deve- 



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