The Audubon Societies 



263 



Bittern is one of the most 

 interesting as scientists are 

 not yet agreed as to whether 

 it represents a distinct spec- 

 ies on the verge of extinction 

 or whether it is but a dark 

 phase of the common Leas 

 Bittern. Its color pattern is 

 apparently identical with that 

 of the common Least Bittern 

 but all of the buffs have been 

 replaced by chestnut. 



But to return to the gor- 

 geous Tanagers and the incon- 

 spicuous Grouse, surely there 

 is some reason for the differ- 

 ence in coloration which 

 study might lead us to under- 

 stand. In thinking over the 

 birds with which we are familiar we soon discover that brilliant colors, in al- 

 most every species, are restricted wholly to the males, and a moment's reflec- 

 tion suggests to us that the law of "The Survival of the Fittest" would soon 



YOUNG KINGFISHER 



Few young birds are as brightly colored as their parents but th 



young Kingfisher is an exception 



YOUNG CHIPPING SPARROWS 



Note that they differ from their parent in having streaked breasts, as do most Sparrows. The plumage 



of many young birds gives a clue to their relationships. Young Robins and Bluebirds, for 



example, are spotted like many members of the Thrush family, to which they belong. 



