210



Mr. Frank Finn,



III. Male similar to female (or nearly so) in plumage, but with


structural decorations :—Condor (Sarcorhamphus gryp¬

hons') ; Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) ; Great Bustard {Otis

tarda ) ; Australian Musk-duck ( Biziura lobata) ; Muscovy

Duck ( Cairina moschata)* ; these are all the cases I

know of of this kind.


IV. Male simply much larger than female, otherwise similar ; the


Australian lark-like birds of the genus Cinclorhamphus.


V. Male like female, but with special weapons, i.e. spurs ;

Eared Pheasants ( Crossoptilon ) and many Francolins

( Francolinns, Pternistes).


VI. Sexes alike in size and plumage but with a difference in the

“soft parts”:—Budgerigar (. Melopsittacus undulatus).

Cases rare, but often found in combination with I. and


II. i.e. plumage and eye or beak-colour both different.


In some cases these differences are permanent, as in the

Fowl ; in others the male has a distinctive plumage (or

beak colour) only during part of the year, generally only

during the breeding season, as in the Indigo-bird

( Cyanospiza cyanea ), the Whydahs, and many of the

Ducks.


The few converse cases, where the female is the superior

sex, fall under three classes:—


I. Female of same size as male but brighter:—Eclectus

Parrots ( Eclectus ), Paradise Duck ( Casarca variegaia). A

rare case.


II. Female both larger and brighter than male :—Phalaropes

(. Phalaropus ), most Hemipodes ( Turnix ).


III. Female larger than male, but duller :—Harriers ( Circus ),


Kestrels ( Tinnimculus) ; Blackbird ( Merula merula) ;

some Bustards ( Sypheotides auritus, &c.)


IV. Female simply larger than male, otherwise similar:—


Emu ( Dromceus australis) ; Cassowaries (Casualins') \

Kiwis (Apterygidae) ; Tinamous (Tinamidae) ; Jaganas

( Pa) ridae .)



* I am speaking here of the wild Muscovy Duck, in which the female has no bare

eye-cere or beak-knob; in domestication she usually shows these points, an interesting

case of transference male characters to the female without human selection, as Muscovy

Ducks are not “bred to points.”



