The Descent of Man

y Mr. Bartlett that they resemble the peacock
in their voice and in some of their habits. During
the spring the males, as previously described,
strut about before the comparatively plaincoloured
females, expanding and erecting their
tail and wing-feathers, which are ornamented
with numerous ocelli. I request the reader to
turn back to the drawing (Fig. 51) of a Polyplectron;
In P. napoleonis the ocelli are confined to
the tail, and the back is of a rich metallic blue;
in which respects this species approaches the
Java peacock. P. hardwickii possesses a peculiar
top-knot, which is also somewhat like that
of the Java peacock. In all the species the ocelli
on the wings and tail are either circular or oval,
and consist of a beautiful, iridescent, greenishblue
or greenish-purple disc, with a black border.
This border in P. chinquis shades into
brown, edged with cream colour, so that the
ocellus is here surrounded with variously shaded,
though not bright, concentric zones. The
unusual length of the tail-coverts is another