SEXUAL SELECTION IN BIRDS. 165 



of these have been with one bird — the favoured brown Ruff. 

 This, however, is a minimum, for it will be easily understood 

 that, with so many birds and so much motion, it is quite possible 

 to miss such a matter, salient though it be. It may be, therefore, 

 that another Ruff or two paired with one or other of the Reeves, 

 but I do not think so, and in my own mind feel sure they did not. 

 I was at my lair again in the afternoon before 3, but the 

 birds had been disturbed by some visitors who come here, from 

 time to time, to be shown a nest or two. However, they may not 

 have done much harm, but nothing very interesting, after what 

 I have now seen, took place. A Reeve flew in once or twice, but 

 did not go to any of the prostrated males — for they had all 

 instantly gone down. About 4.30, however, there was a great 

 acceleration of numbers, a party of Ruffs, with two Reeves, flying 

 in to the seven or eight Ruffs already there. The two Reeves 

 proceeded to the brown bird, and the scene then became some- 

 thing like those of the morning, but only " as moonlight is to 

 sunlight, or as water is to wine." The blue bird, as for short I 

 will call him, now often alluded to, was a persevering lover, but 

 in spite of his attractions, which this morning "had been worth 

 the whistle," the one somewhat " maimed rite," as it seemed to 

 me, was with the all-powerful brown one. Now this bird, when 

 he is properly considered, must certainly be set down as one of 

 the most handsome, his ruff being a very fine one — the finest, I 

 think, of any — large, soft, and thick, and of a light golden- 

 brown colour. His head-lappets, which rise above it, and are 

 also very thick and soft — though short and rounded, not so 

 flowing as in some others — are of a darker brown which well sets 

 off that of the ruff. His bill is red or reddish, and so are the 

 little warts or pimples of naked skin, which, commencing at its 

 base, spread upwards over his cheeks. In fact, except for one 

 other bird, which I, personally, think more handsome, but which 

 is peculiar, and has no mistress, as far as I know, he and the blue- 

 ruffed one with the white flowing head-gear, tinged with brown, 

 strike me as perhaps the two most handsome. That these two, 

 then, should have been just the ones favoured is certainly curious, 

 and still more so that the one so extremely fortunate should be 

 distinguished by the superior development of that particular 

 adornment which is specially characteristic of, and has given 



