66 MAN [Chap. VIIT 



Letter 434 This perplexes me much. Are there many unmarried birds ? 

 I can hardly believe it. Or will one of a pair, of which the 

 nest has been robbed, or which are barren, always desert his 

 or her mate for a strange mate with the attraction of a nest, 

 and in one instance with young birds in the nest ? The 

 gamekeeper said during breeding season he had never 

 observed a single or unpaired partridge. How can the sexes 

 be so equally matched ? 



P.S. 2nd. — 1 fear you will find me a great bore, but I will 

 be as reasonable as can be expected in plundering one so 

 rich as you. 



P.S. 3rd. — I have just received a letter from Dr. Wallace, 1 

 of Colchester, about the proportional numbers of the two 

 sexes in Bombyx ; and in this note, apropos to an inci- 

 dental remark of mine, he stoutly maintains that female 

 lepidoptera never notice the colours or appearance of the 

 male, but always receive the first male which comes ; 

 and this appears very probable. He says he has often seen 

 fine females receive old battered and pale-tinted males. I 

 shall have to admit this very great objection to sexual selec- 

 tion in insects. His observations no doubt apply to English 

 lepidoptera, in most of which the sexes are alike. The 

 brimstone or orange-tip would be good to observe in this 

 respect, but it is hopelessly difficult. I think I have often 

 seen several males following one female ; and what decides 

 which male shall succeed ? How is this about several males ; 

 is it not so ? 



Letter 435 To J. Jenner Weir. 



6, Queen Anne Street, Cavendish Square, W. [March 6th, 1868]. 

 I have come here for a few weeks, for a little change and 

 rest. Just as I was leaving home I received your first note, 

 and yesterday a second ; and both are most interesting and 

 valuable to me. That is a very curious observation about 

 the goldfinch's beak, 2 but one would hardly like to trust it 

 without measurement or comparison of the beaks of several 



1 See Descent of Man, Ed. I., Vol. I., pp. 386-401, where Dr. 

 Wallace's observations are quoted. 



2 Descent of Man, Ed. I., Vol. I., p. 39. Mr. Weir is quoted as 

 saying that the birdcatchers can distinguish the males of the goldfinch, 

 Carduelis elegans, by their " slightly longer beaks." 



