586 THE DESCENT OF MAN 



This is the case with the Grallinas of Australia, the Superb 

 Warblers (Maluridse) of the same country, the Sun-birds 

 (NectarinisB), and with several of the Australian Honey- 

 suckers or Meliphagidse." 



If we look to the birds of England we shall see that 

 there is no close and general relation between the colors of 

 the female and the nature of the nest which is constructed. 

 About forty of our British birds (excluding those of large 

 size which could defend themselves) build in holes in 

 banks, rocks or trees, or construct domed nests. If we 

 take the colors of the female goldfinch, bullfinch, or black- 

 bird, as a standard of the degree of conspicuousness, which 

 is not highly dangerous to the sitting female, then out of 

 the above forty birds the females of only twelve can be 

 considered as conspicuous to a dangerous degree, the re- 

 maining twenty-eight being inconspicuous." Nor is there 

 any close relation within the same genus between a well 

 pronounced difference in color between the sexes and the 

 nature of the nest constructed. Thus the male house- 

 sparrow {^Passer domesticus) differs much from the female, 

 the male tree-sparrow (P. montanus) hardly at all, and yet 

 both build well concealed nests. The two sexes of the 

 common fly-catcher {^Muscicapa grisola) can hardly be dis- 

 tinguished, while the sexes of the pied fly-catcher {^M. luc- 

 tuosa) differ considerably, and both species build in holes 

 or conceal their nests. The female blackbird \Turdua 



" On the nidification and colors of these latter species, see Grould's "Hand- 

 book," etc., vol. i. pp. 604, 527. 



'8 I have consulted, on this subject, Macgillivray's "British Birds," and 

 though doubts may be entertained in some cases in regard to the degree of 

 concealment of the nest, and to the degree of conspicuousness of the female, 

 yet the following birds, which all lay their eggs in holes or in domed nests, 

 can hardly be considered, by the above standard, as conspicuous: Passer, 2 

 species; Sturnus, of which the female is considerably less brilliant than the 

 male; Cinclus; Motacilla boarula(?); Erithacus (?) ; I'ruticola, 2 sp. ; Saxicola; 

 Ruticilla, 2 sp. ; Sylvia, 3 sp. ; Parus, 3 sp. ; Mecistura; Anorthura; Certhia; 

 Sitta; Yunx; Muscicapa, 2 sp. ; Hirundo, 3 sp. ; and Cypselus. The females 

 of the following 12 birds may be considered as conspicuous, according to the 

 Bame standard, viz., Pastor, Motacilla alba, Parus major and P. ceeruleua, 

 TJpupa, Picus, 4 sp. ; Coracias, Alcedo, and Meropa. 



