248 WITH THE U. S. NATURALISTS 



joined; "but few ornithologists to-day believe that 

 this choice by the bird was the original cause of 

 coloration in birds. It would not explain the be- 

 ginning of coloration. If this question of choos- 

 ing the handsomest mate were the rule, then it 

 should also be the rule that in all species the males 

 should be more brilliantly colored than the 

 females. But this is not so. Even in the same 

 family, coloration questions vary widely. The 

 Nashville and the Orange-Crowned Warblers have 

 the same coloration in both sexes, while in the 

 Cerulean Warbler, the sexes are widely different in 

 appearance. Families of birds like the Wrens 

 and the Creepers show little difference between 

 the sexes while the Blackbirds and Orioles vary 

 greatly. Sparrows, as a rule, are similar, while 

 their close cousins, the Finches, often vary. Jays 

 and Crows show no variance in sex plumage. 

 Females of the Carolina Paroquet, one of the most 

 gaily colored birds in the United States, are as 

 brightly hued as the males. Hawks and Eagles 

 rarely vary. Owls still less. 



"Even in those birds where the male bird pos- 

 sesses a coat of many colors for his courtship 

 and marriage, it does not follow that the hen al- 

 ways chooses the most brightly colored bird. Ex- 



