Chap. XIV.] 



GRADATION OF CHARACTERS. 



131 



must formerly have existed many species which presented 

 every successive step between the wonderfully elongated 

 tail-coverts of the peacock and the short tail-coverte of all 

 ordinary birds ; and again between the magnificent ocelli 

 of the former, and the simpler ocelli or mere colored spots 



Fig. 53.— Feather of Peacock, about two-thirds of natural size, carefully drawn 

 by Mr. Ford. The transparent zone Is represented by the outermost white 

 zone confined to the upper end of the disk. 



of other birds ; and so with all the other characters of the 

 peacock. Let us look to the allied Gallinacea3 for any 

 still-existing gradations. The species and sub-species of 

 Polyplectron inhabit countries adjacent to the native land 

 of ttie peacock ; and they so far resemble this bird that 



