The Descent of Man

manner of display, by the Gold pheasant and
by the Japanese pheasant, Ph. versicolor; and
he calls it the lateral or one-sided display.) They
likewise turn their beautiful tails and tailcoverts
a little towards the same side. Mr. Bartlett
has observed a male Polyplectron (Fig. 51)
in the act of courtship, and has shewn me a
specimen stuffed in the attitude then assumed.
The tail and wing-feathers of this bird are ornamented
with beautiful ocelli, like those on
the peacock's train. Now when the peacock
displays himself, he expands and erects his tail
transversely to his body, for he stands in front
of the female, and has to shew off, at the same
time, his rich blue throat and breast. But the
breast of the Polyplectron is obscurely coloured,
and the ocelli are not confined to the tailfeathers.
Consequently the Polyplectron does
not stand in front of the female; but he erects
and expands his tail-feathers a little obliquely,
lowering the expanded wing on the same side,
and raising that on the opposite side. In this