SEXUAL SELECTION 327 



the blackbird, he likewise maintained, were by far the 

 more numerous, whether caught by traps or by netting at 

 night. These statements may apparently be trusted, beoause 

 this same man said that the sexes are about equal with the 

 lark, the twite {Linaria montana), and goldfinch. On the 

 other hand, he is certain that with the common linnet 

 the females preponderate greatly, but unequally during 

 difierent years ; during some years he has found the females 

 to the males as four to one. It should, however, be borne 

 in mind that the chief season for catching birds does not 

 begin till September, -so that with some species partial 

 migrations may have begun, and the flocks at this period 

 often consist of hens alone. Mr. Salvin paid particular 

 attention to the sexes of the humming-birds in Central 

 America, and he is convinced that with most of the species 

 the males are in excess; thus one year he procured 204 

 specimens belonging to ten species, and these consisted of 

 166 males and of only 38 females. With two other species 

 the females were in excess; bxit the proportions apparently 

 vary either during different seasons or in different localities; 

 for on one occasion the males of Campylopierus hemileucurus 

 were to the females as 5 to 2, and on another occasion"" in 

 exactly the reversed ratio. As bearing on this latter point, 

 I may add, that Mr. Powys found in Corfu and Epirus the 

 sexes of the chaffinch keeping apart, and "the females by 

 far the most numerous"; while in Palestine Mr. Tristram 

 found "the male flocks appearing greatly, to exceed the 

 female in number." "' So again with the Quiscalus major, 

 Mr. Gr. Taylor"" says that in Florida there were "very few 

 females in proportion to the males, ' ' while in Honduras the 



mention that in 1869 there was a match between two experts, and one man 

 caught in a day 62, and another 40, male chaffinches. The greatest number 

 ever caught by one man in a single day was 70. 



«« "Ibis," vol. ii. p. 260, as quoted in Gould's "Trochilidse, " 1861, p. 52. 

 For the foregoing proportions I am indebted to Mr. Salvin for a table of his 



8' ''Ibis," I860, p. 137; and 1867, p. 369. 

 6« "Ibis," 1862, p. 137. 



