The Descent of Man

fered fundamentally from those of the peacock,
in there being two on the same feather (Fig. 55),
one on each side of the shaft. Hence I concluded
that the early progenitors of the peacock
could not have resembled a Polyplectron. But
on continuing my search, I observed that in
some of the species the two ocelli stood very
near each other; that in the tail-feathers of P.
hardwickii they touched each other; and, finally,
that on the tail-coverts of this same species
as well as of P. malaccense (Fig. 56) they were
actually confluent. As the central part alone is
confluent, an indentation is left at both the upper
and lower ends; and the surrounding coloured
zones are likewise indented. A single
ocellus is thus formed on each tail-covert,
though still plainly betraying its double origin.
These confluent ocelli differ from the single
ocelli of the peacock in having an indentation at
both ends, instead of only at the lower or basal
end. The explanation, however, of this difference
is not difficult; in some species of Polyplec-