4 THEORY OF BIRDS’ NESTS. 245 
rich purples, and bright reds, being the most charac- 
teristic colours. The females are always obscurely 
tinted, and are often of a greenish hue, not easily 
visible among the foliage. 
2. Manakins (Pipride). These elegant birds, whose 
caps or crests are of the most brilliant colours, are 
usually of a sombre green in the female sex. 
3. Tanagers (Tanagride). These rival the chatterers 
in the brillianey of their colours, and are even more 
varied. The females are generally of plain and sombre 
hues, and always less conspicuous than the males. 
In the extensive families of the warblers (Sylviade), 
thrushes (Turdide), flycatchers (Muscicapide), and 
shrikes (Laniade), a considerable proportion of the 
species are beautifully marked with gay and conspi- 
cuous tints, as is also the case in the Pheasants and 
Grouse ; but in every case the females are less gay, 
and are most frequently of the very plainest and least 
conspicuous hues. Now, throughout the whole of these 
families the nest is open, and I am not aware of a 
single instance in which any one of these birds builds 
a domed nest, or places it in a hole of a tree, or under- 
ground, or in any place where it is effectually con- 
cealed. 
In considering the question we are now investigating, 
it is not necessary to take into account the larger and 
more powerful birds, because these seldom depend 
much on concealment to secure their safety. In the 
raptorial birds bright colours are as a rule absent ; 
and their structure and habits are such as not to re- 
