438 The Descent of Man. Part II. 



is abruptly bordered ( >n its upper side by a rather broad space of 

 richly shaded tints, beginning with a narrow brown zone, which 

 passes into orange, and this into a pale leaden tint, with the end 

 towards the shaft much paler. These shaded tints together fill up 

 the whole inner space of the elliptic ornament. The mark (7>) 

 corresponds in every respect with the basal shaded spot of the 

 simple feather described in the last paragraph (fig. 58), but is 

 more highly developed and more brightly coloured. Above and to 

 the right of this spot (b rig. 59), with its bright shading, there is 

 a long narrow, black mark (c), belonging to the same row, and 

 which is arched a little downwards so as to face (V). This mark 

 is sometimes broken into two portions. It is also narrowly edged 

 on the lower side with a fulvous tint. To the left of and above 

 c, in the same oblique direction, but always more or less distinct 

 from it, there is another black mark ('/). This mark is generally 

 sub-triangular and irregular in shape, but in the one lettered in 

 the diagram it is unusually narrow, elongated, and regular. It 

 apparently consists of a lateral and broken prolongation of the 

 mark (c), together with its confluence with a broken and prolonged 

 part of the next spot above ; but I do not feel sure of this. These 

 three marks, b, c, and '/, with the intervening bright shades, form 

 together the so-called elliptic ornament. These ornaments placed 

 parallel to the shaft, manifestly correspond in position with the 

 ball-and-socket ocelli. Their extremely elegant appearance can- 

 not be appreciated in the drawing, as the orange and leaden tints, 

 contrasting so well with the black marks, cannot be shewn. 



Between one of the elliptic ornaments and a perfect ball-and- 

 socket ocellus, the gradation is so jDerfect that it is scarcely 

 possible to decide when the latter term ought to be used. The 

 passage from the one into the other is effected by the elongation 

 and greater curvature in opposite directions of the lower black 

 mark (b fig. 59), and more especially of the upper one (c\ 

 together with the contraction of the elongated sub-triangular or 

 narrow mark (<:/), so that at last these three marks become con- 

 fluent, forming an irregular elliptic ring. This ring is gradually 

 rendered more and more circular and regular, increasing at the 

 same time in diameter. I have here given a drawing (fig. 60) 

 of the natural size of an ocellus not as yet quite perfect. The lower 

 part of the black ring is much more curved than is the lower 

 mark in the elliptic ornament (b fig. 59). The upper part of 

 the ring consists of two or three separate portions ; and there is 

 only a trace of the thickening of the portion which forms the 

 black mark above the white shade. This white shade itself is 

 not as yet much concentrated; and beneath it the surface is 

 brighter coloured than in a perfect ball-and-socket ocellus. Even 



