382 



THE DESCENT OP MAN. 



the head is bald, "and of a rich cobalt blue, crossed by several 

 "lines of black velvety feathers.'"* 



Male humming-birds (figs. 48 and 49) almost vie with birds of 

 paradise in their beauty, as every one will admit who has seen 



Fig. 48. Lophornis ornatus, male and female (from Brehm). 



Mr. Gould's splendid volumes, or his rich collection. It is very 

 remarkable in how many different ways these birds are orna- 

 mented. Almost every part of their plumage has been taken 

 advantage of, and modified; and the modifications have been 

 carried, as Mr. Gould showed me, to a wonderful extreme in some 

 species belonging to nearly every sub-group. Such cases are 



" Wallace, 'The Malay Archipelago,' vol. ii. 1869, p. 



