The Making of Species 



' off-coloured ' birds could succeed in getting and 

 keeping mates when correctly-dressed drakes 

 pined in lonely bachelorhood ; one grey-breasted 

 bird had even been able to indulge in bigamy. 

 That strength ruled here was obvious from the 

 way in which the wedded birds drove away their 

 unmated rivals, a proceeding in which their wives 

 most thoroughly sympathised. 



" Evidently, beauty does not count for much 

 with the park duck, and the same seems to be the 

 case with the fowl. As a boy, I often used to 

 visit a yard wherein was a very varied assort- 

 ment of fowls. Among these was one very 

 handsome cock, of the typical black and red 

 colouring of the wild bird, and very fully 

 1 furnished ' in the matter of hackle and sickle 

 feathers. Yet the hens held him in no great 

 account, while the master of the yard, a big 

 black bird, with much Spanish blood, provided 

 with a huge pair of spurs, was so admired that 

 he was always attended by some little bantam 

 hens, although they might have had diminutive 

 husbands of their own class. 



" It must be remembered, however, that these 

 ducks and fowls had an unnaturally wide choice. 

 In nature, varieties are rare, and the competing 

 suitors are likely to be all very much alike ; this 

 makes matters very difficult for the observer, 

 who may easily pass over small differences which 

 are plain enough to the eyes of the hen birds." 



3 J 4 



