The Descent of Man

is surrounded by mottled instead of blue feathers.
The Gallinaceae offer many analogous
cases; for none of the species, such as partridges,
quails, guinea-fowls, etc., in which the colours
of the plumage have been largely transferred
from the male to the female, are brilliantly
coloured. This is well exemplified with the
pheasants, in which the male is generally so
much more brilliant than the female; but with
the Eared and Cheer pheasants (Crossoptilon
auritum and Phasianus wallichii) the sexes closely
resemble each other and their colours are
dull. We may go so far as to believe that if any
part of the plumage in the males of these two
pheasants had been brilliantly coloured, it
would not have been transferred to the females.
These facts strongly support Mr. Wallace's view
that with birds which are exposed to much
danger during incubation, the transference of
bright colours from the male to the female has
been checked through natural selection. We
must not, however, forget that another explana-