Proceedings. Ivii. 
conspicuous colouring, they attracted all the ‘‘ vermin ” in the 
neighbourhood, and the gamekeepers had great difficulty in 
preserving them from the attacks of Weasels and Stoats, and 
Birds of Prey. 
Referring to what Mr. Wallace had said as to the colours of 
male animals being often brightest when they were most 
vigorous, he mentioned that at his own house he had an 
aquarium which contained a number of Sticklebacks which 
were preparing for spawning. The males were brilliantly 
coloured, but, being very pugnacious, were constantly fighting, 
and, as each of these was beaten his bright colours faded or 
disappeared. One of the larger males for a long time held his 
own against the others, but at last he was beaten, and then 
his colours also faded. 
The Presipent added some remarks as to the object of the 
gorgeous plumage of the males of some species of birds at the 
breeding season, and described the way in which the males 
make use of their brilliant colours at this season, which seemed 
to prove that the real object of the colours is to enable the 
male to attract and to excite the female. He also referred to a 
subject which he thought had not received the attention which 
it seemed to deserve. In some of the species of Gallinaceous 
birds, such as the Common Pheasant, the female occasionally 
assumes the brilliant plumage of the male. Sometimes this 
assumption is complete, and the female becomes exactly like 
the male, except perhaps that its colours are not quite so 
bright; whilst in others only a very slight amount of the male 
colouring is taken. Between these two extremes, it would be 
possible, he believed, to find every intermediate grade. This 
seems to show that the plumage of the male is not, as might 
be supposed, a dress essentially distinct in its nature from 
the plumage of the female; but that they are both, in all 
essentials, the same, and that the gorgeous colours of the 
male may be produced by a gradual modification of the more 
sober colours of the female. Mr. Flower also mentioned and 
described some very remarkable instances of protective 
colouring in birds. 
Mr. Ty or, in reply, whilst fully admitting the importance 
and advantage to animals of protective colouring, pointed out 
that this did not in any way affect the theory which he had 
advanced, that the external markings of animals corresponded 
with their internal structure, nor did it explain why the colour- 
ing was almost invariably regular and symmetrical. 
The following objects were exhibited:—J. Berney, small 
moth ; W. J. Fuller, head of horse fly in fluid ; H. M. Klaassen, 
pigment cells in skin of fish; E. Lovett, exuviated skin of 
chameleon ; also sand tubes of Pectinaria belgica, from The 
