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The Descent of Man

The Descent of Man

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must be owned that the males <strong>of</strong> several brilliantly<br />

coloured birds have had their feathers<br />

specially modified for the sake <strong>of</strong> producing<br />

instrumental music, though the beauty <strong>of</strong> this<br />

cannot be compared, at least according to our<br />

taste, with that <strong>of</strong> the vocal music <strong>of</strong> many<br />

songsters.<br />

We will now turn to male birds which are not<br />

ornamented in any high degree, but which nevertheless<br />

display during their courtship whatever<br />

attractions they may possess. <strong>The</strong>se cases<br />

are in some respects more curious than the foregoing,<br />

and have been but little noticed. I owe<br />

the following facts to Mr. Weir, who has long<br />

kept confined birds <strong>of</strong> many kinds, including<br />

all the British Fringillidae and Emberizidae.<br />

<strong>The</strong> facts have been selected from a large body<br />

<strong>of</strong> valuable notes kindly sent me by him. <strong>The</strong><br />

bullfinch makes his advances in front <strong>of</strong> the<br />

female, and then puffs out his breast, so that<br />

many more <strong>of</strong> the crimson feathers are seen at

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