The Descent of Man

y man for the sake of ornament; certain individuals
originally varied in one character, and
other individuals of the same species in other
characters; and these have been seized on by
man and much augmented—as shewn by the
tail of the fantail- pigeon, the hood of the jacobin,
the beak and wattle of the carrier, and so
forth. The sole difference between these cases is
that in the one, the result is due to man's selection,
whilst in the other, as with hummingbirds,
birds of paradise, etc., it is due to the
selection by the females of the more beautiful
males.
I will mention only one other bird, remarkable
from the extreme contrast in colour between
the sexes, namely the famous bell-bird (Chasmorhynchus
niveus) of S. America, the note of
which can be distinguished at the distance of
nearly three miles, and astonishes every one
when first hearing it. The male is pure white,
whilst the female is dusky-green; and white is a