3972 Birds. 



shall almost invariably find that their plumage is identically the same 

 in every individval. 



To this rule, however, there are certain exceptions, of which the 

 crossbills and the ruffs are very remarkable examples. Of the cross- 

 bills Bewick says, " their colours are extremely subject to variation ; 

 amongst a great number, hardly two of them are exactly similar : " 

 and other authors, in describing different individuals, show that red, 

 yellow, green, orange, and brown are the various liveries assumed by 

 this very cameleon of a bird. Again, the ruff is another species of 

 which Yarrell states " that scarcely any two of these males can be 

 found of the same colour, which is very unusual among wild birds. " 

 But both the crossbills and ruffs are very peculiar birds in other re- 

 spects, besides their diversity of dress ; and perhaps, on another oc- 

 casion, 1 may have something more to say of them. I adduce them 

 now merely as striking examples of some constant exceptions to the 

 law generally observed by Nature, in assigning to every distinct spe- 

 cies its own peculiar garb, from which the individuals composing it 

 would no more think of deviating, than would a soldier of one regi- 

 ment of usurping the facings of another. 



There is yet another peculiarity which may occasionally be seen, 

 when the one sex assumes the dress of the other, to which it is not 

 naturally entitled. This is more frequently seen in the hen pheasant, 

 than in any other bird, which, scorning her own plain homely garb, 

 aspires to the splendid dress of the cock, but these females are inva- 

 riably barren. Another bird which occasionally delights in the same 

 vagaries is the female of the black grous ; and more might be men- 

 tioned. On the other hand, there are certain effeminate male birds 

 which array themselves periodically in female costume : this is the 

 case with many of the duck tribe, as related in a very interesting pa- 

 per by Mr. Gurney, (Zool. 3116). 



But though the despised sparrow never presumes to adopt the dress 

 of the gay goldfinch, nor the proud goldfinch condescends to the 

 dismal robes of the ignominious sparrow ; yet we certainly do see 

 occasional departures from Nature's ordinary rule, when certain indi- 

 viduals of various species seem to ignore the universal law, and, put- 

 ting aside the colours usually assigned to them, array themselves in 

 white, or some unwonted hue. Now these unnatural birds are, in my 

 opinion, far from pleasing specimens of their species ; I look upon 

 them, in all cases, ;is miserable deformities. If they are so clothed 

 from the nest (and, on inquiry, 1 find this is the case with by far the 

 greater part of them), 1 consider them as no other than wretched 



