GRADATION OF CHARACTERS. 
139 
Co. 
•VP. 
XIV. 
Eluded 
c , that the early progenitors of the peacock 
a , / n °t have resembled in 
P ' degree a Polyplectron. 
lit O" v 
1 '/ JI1 continuing my search, 
the Sei ’ Ve d that in some of 
, s P ec ies the two ocelli 
th at Ver y near each other; 
111 the tail-feathers of 
(; ;i! , ar dtvic]cii they touched 
ipy °^ lei "> and, finally, that 
8p e ! e bdl-co veils of this same 
O* as well as of P. ma- 
ftctjp (% 55) they were 
c e p t a - v confluent. As the 
a U ; * ] h ai 't alone is confluent, 
th e n station is left at both 
^’jPper and lower ends; 
? 0 p e surrounding coloured 
4 . are likewise indented. 
tofr^ 1 ^ 6 ocellus is thus 
thorn 011 eac ^ tail-covert, 
it s k 1 8 tiU plainly betraying 
flu^^hle origin. These cou- 
Fig. 54, Part of a tail -covert of Poly- 
plectron chinquis, with the two ocelli 
of nat. size. 
°celli differ from the 
in ~]J ocelli of the peacock 
an indentation at 
V/^s, instead of at the 
01 ^asal end alone. The 
'liff L . aritlt ' ou > however, of this 
* s not difficult ; in 
th e s P ec ies of Polyplectron 
Sajp e w ° °val ocelli on the 
to e a , ”" ul »umu parallel 
c °Uv* °t^ ei ' j in other species (as in P. cldnquis) they 
tw ‘ge towards one end ; now the partial confluence 
0 convergent ocelli would manifestly leave a much 
aer stand parallel 
Fig. 55. Part of a tail-covert of Poly- 
plectron maluecense, with tilt* two 
ocelli, partially confluent, of nat. size. 
