Protective Coloration in its relation to Mimicry, ete. 567 
patterned ; beach animals, beach-patterned, etc., through 
the whole animal kingdom. But this other obvious case 
has escaped them. What other equal hope were there for 
insects that feed in full sunlight on masses of bright 
flowers ? 
In another paper I shall extend this criticism on the 
animal-conspicuousness-theory to the field of birds, and to 
strengthen the present paper by showing reasons to sus- 
pect that this theory is also not well intrenched in the 
bird part of its field, I append the following examples of 
the material to be used in the next paper. 
Several of the most apparently conspicuous details of 
the exteriors of male birds can be shown to be such as 
would aid them to escape their enemies, and it is plain 
that simple life-preservation must for ever take precedence 
in the scale of importance of animals’ needs. It is a mild 
statement to say that if the animal kingdom is to survive, 
females have greater need of the mere existence of mates 
than of any particular attribute in them, and if this state- 
ment is true, in all its immense import, it is among the 
most primitive needs of the male, that we should search 
for the explanation of his present attributes. All the 
nuptial developments, either of feathers or fleshy growths 
on beaks, etc., are much more rationally explicable along 
the simple lines of utility, than those of direct Sexual 
Selection, since it is apparent that every appendage, and 
every brilliancy of colour or costume adds: to the formid- 
ableness of a warrior’s aspect. One male conquers another 
partly through overawing him by superior splendour, 
and actually looking larger by means of his appendages, 
and when these gaudy-feathered braves flaunt before their 
females, why are they not presumably appealing to the 
females’ love of a good fighter,—a sentiment so dominant, 
even in the human race,—and a simple sense of what con- 
stitutes a husband full-equipped for the rough work 
devolving on all feudal lords? In fact, from which end 
of the animal scale is this human sentiment traceable ? 
If from the lower, as seems obvious, it must exist there. 
I believe that a material need for any existing thing will 
always be found to precede the spiritual, just as simply as 
aman must catch before he can eat, and will then think. 
These arguments suggest, at least, that the nuptial 
superficial developments are for the direct use of the male 
who wears them. Let us look at the iridescent splendours 
