GRADATION OF CHARACTERS. 



425 



ihe ocellus; but for a long time I could not conjecture their 

 meaning. 



If we admit the principle of gradual evolution, there must 

 formerly have existed many species which presented every suc- 

 cessive step between the wonderfully elongated tail-coverts of 

 the peacock and the short tail-coverts of all ordinary birds; and 

 again between the magnificent ocelli of the former, and the sim- 

 pler ocelli or mere colored spots on other birds; and so with all 

 the other characters of the peacock. Let us look to the allied 



Fig. 54. Feather of Peacock, about two-thirds of natural size, drawn 

 by Mr. Ford. The transparent zone is represented by the outermost 

 white zone, confined to the upper end of the disc. 



Gallinacese for any still-existing gradations. The species and 

 sub-species of Polyplectron inhabit countries adjacent to the 

 native land of the peacock; and they so far resemble this bird 

 that they are sometimes called peacock-pheasants. I am also in- 

 formed by Mr. Bartlett that they resemble the peacock in their 

 voice and in some of their habits. During the spring the males, 

 as previously described, strut about before the comparatively 

 plain-colored females, expanding and erecting their tail and wing- 



