50 



GENERAL VIUNVIPLEH OF ZOOLOGY. 



excellences. AVitli strong wings and -with spurs the cock main- 

 tains possession of his flock, the stag hy means of his antlers, the 

 hull with his horns. The hirds of ])aradise h}' means of beautiful 

 coloring win the favor of tlie females, most singing-birds by means 

 of song; many species of the fowl Ijy peculiar love-dances. Since 



Fig. 1.5a.— Parrtrffsca a/'of/a, iii;ile. (.\fler Le^'aillant.) 



all these characters belong chiefly to the male, and since it is 

 only exceptionally that they are iidicrited liy tlie female (and even 

 then are less pronounced), it is almost certain that in a great 

 measure they have been acquired l)y the males through the strags;'le 

 for the female. In the case of birds a second factor has \in- 

 doulitedly co-o])crated to impress distinctly the often enormous 

 difference between the featliers of the male and of the female — as 



