Ch. 
Ap . XIV. 
sexual selection: birds. 
99 
CHAPTER XIV. 
Ch, 
Birds — continued. 
w 
Ol(»g ' 
, exer ted by the female — Length of court ship — Unpaired 
0) lr s ~7 Mental qualities and taste for the beautiful — Preference 
^antipathy shewn by the female for particular males — Vari- 
t j f ' °f birds — Yariations sometimes abrupt — Laws of varia- 
p U formation of ocelli — Gradations of character — Case ol 
c °ck, Argus pheasant, and Urosticte. 
Ben tlie sexes differ in beauty, in the power of 
inert ’ 0r producing what I have called instru- 
fc3fc , a tausic, it is almost invariably the male which 
s eeil S the female. These qualities, as we have just 
are evidently of high importance to the male. 
is a j' n the y are gained for only a part of the year, this 
iq..i ' a - Vs shortly before the breeding-season. It is the 
tii 
or 
i a '°ne who elaborately displays his varied attrac- 
’ aa d often performs strange antics on the ground 
°hs, 
11 ^ j e air, in the presence of the female. Each 
eia-J llVes awa y or > if he can, kills all his rivals. 
n, 
^ale 
We 
may conclude, that it is the object of the 
+ f • J * >1 
this ° ln< tuce the female to pair with him, and for 
Way 
Purpose } le tries to excite or charm her in various 
Ca re f ’ an, -i this is the opinion of all those who have 
; V ' s tudied the habits of living birds. But there 
oq go 8 a question which has an all important bearing 
satq e Ua . Section, namely, does every male of the 
ho^ 8 P e °ies equally excite and attract the female ? or 
Ibegti 6 exe rt a choice, and prefer certain males? This 
011 can be answered in the affirmative by much 
H 2 
