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disfigured by being dubbed, and with his hackles 

 trimmed, would be accepted as readily as a male 

 retaining all his natural ornaments." Mr. William C. 

 Beebe, Curator of Birds at the New York Zoological 

 Park, gives, on page 12 of Vol. III. of the Aviculhirat 

 Magazine, similar evidence. " One more interesting 

 fact about courtship among birds," he writes, "is that 

 it is not always the most highly decorated suitor, nor 

 the one victorious in combat, that wins the female for 

 whom he is putting forth his utmost efforts. I have 

 seen a Peahen show a very decided preference for, and 

 ultimately pair off with, a young bird who had but 

 small display and was almost spurless." He goes on 

 to quote the case of a Mallard who chose as her mate 

 a drake, whose tail had been shot away, in preference 

 to two other drakes in magnificent plumage. 



It seems to me that we are apt to attribute to 

 birds more aesthetic tastes than they enjoy. What 

 a bird seeks in its partner is strength and vigour 

 and ardent sexual desire. These features are 

 usually accompanied by brilliant plumage, hence the 

 idea has arisen that hens select the most beautiful 

 of their suitors on account of their beauty. Darwin 

 made this mistake, although he admits that much 

 of the evidence brought forward by him tends to 

 show that the hen selects " the most vigorous, defiant, 

 and mettlesome male." 



But what really vitiates his theory of sexual selec- 

 tion is the assumption that the hen alone does the 

 choosing, that the cock, like Barkis, is alway.s 

 " willin'." This is certainly opposed to the behaviour 

 of human beings ; among us the ladies, not infre- 



