THE ARGUS FHEASANT. 



tliink this is invariably tlie ease. You are aware fcliat I have 

 previously called attention to \h.c very artistic shading of the 

 large round spots on the secondaries^ and my opinion that 

 the bird during display would so place his wings that all the 

 lights on these spots would be upwards or towards the source 

 ol light, and the shades downwards, has l)een conttrnied l)y 

 observation <_if the living bird." 



From my own observation ] can fully confirm the state- 

 ment of ^Ir. ^Vood, namely, that the ocelli are s(j shaded as 

 to represent the light coming from ab(5ve when the wings are 

 expanded as the bird is displaying itself. In the engraving 

 the ocelli of the secondai'y feathers nearest the tail have the 

 light side shown nearest the top of the feather, whereas on 

 the first and second secondaries, those which are held nearest 

 the gi'onnd and meet horizontally, tlu' light is next the shaft 

 of the feather. 



The mode in which these ocelli have been produced has 

 been the subject oE a very elaborate and ingenious discptisition 

 by Darwin ("Descent of Man," vol. li., p. 141), to which 1 

 would refer those of luy readers who desire to enter more 

 deeply into the subject ; but the following i-euiarks (jn the 

 characteristics of the feathers and their emi)loyiiient l)y the 

 male are so graphic that I need make nu npology for i|notiug 

 them (vol. ii., p. Ul) : — 



" The iminen-ely developed secondary wing featliers, which 

 are confined to the nntle, are orna.mented with a row of frcjni 

 twenty to twenty-three ocelli, each above an inch in diameter. 

 The feathers are also elegantly marked with oljlique dark 

 stripes and rows of spots, like those on the skin of a tigei- 

 and leopard cwml)ined. The ocelli are so bea^utifully shaded 

 that they stand out like a ball lying hjosely within a socket. 

 But when I looked at the specimeQ in tlie JJritisli Mnseuni, 

 which is mounted with the wings expand.Ml and trailing 

 downwards, i was greatly disa.ppointed, f er the ocelli appeared 

 thit or even concave. Mr. (ojuld, however, soon made tlie 

 case clear to me, for he had made a drawing ef a male whiNt 



