The Descent of Man

emarkable character in Polyplectron; for in
some of the species they are half, and in others
two-thirds as long as the true tail-feathers. The
tail-coverts are ocellated as in the peacock.
Thus the several species of Polyplectron manifestly
make a graduated approach to the peacock
in the length of their tail-coverts, in the
zoning of the ocelli, and in some other characters.
[Fig. 55. Part of a tail-covert of Polyplectron
chinquis, with the two ocelli of natural size.
Fig. 56. Part of a tail-covert of Polyplectron malaccense,
with the two ocelli, partially confluent,
of natural size.]
Notwithstanding this approach, the first species
of Polyplectron which I examined almost
made me give up the search; for I found not
only that the true tail-feathers, which in the
peacock are quite plain, were ornamented with
ocelli, but that the ocelli on all the feathers dif-