. The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. Evolution; Heredity; Human beings; Natural selection. iJBAP. BIRDS—GRADA7 fON OP CHARACTERS. 46t •~^fVTf^ curved, transverse base. As this stripe is thiis abruptly cut off, we can perhaps understand, from what has gone before, how it is that the upper thickened part of the ring is here absent; for, as before stated, this thickened part apparently stands in some rela- tion with a broken prolongation from the next higher spot. From the absence of the upper and thickened part of the ring, the uppermost ocellus, though per- fect in all
. The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. Evolution; Heredity; Human beings; Natural selection. iJBAP. BIRDS—GRADA7 fON OP CHARACTERS. 46t •~^fVTf^ curved, transverse base. As this stripe is thiis abruptly cut off, we can perhaps understand, from what has gone before, how it is that the upper thickened part of the ring is here absent; for, as before stated, this thickened part apparently stands in some rela- tion with a broken prolongation from the next higher spot. From the absence of the upper and thickened part of the ring, the uppermost ocellus, though per- fect in all other respects, appears as if its top had been obHquely sliced off. It would, I think, per- plex anyone, who believes that the plumage of the Argus pheas- ant was created as we now see it, to account for the imperfect con- dition of the uppermost ocellus. I should add thot on the sec- ondary wing-feather farthest from, the body all the ocelli are smaller and less perfect than on the other feathers, and have the upper part of the ring deficient, as in the case just mentioned. The imperfection here seems to be connected with the fact that the spots on this feather show less tendency than usual to be- come confluent into stripes; they ai-e, on the contrary, often broken up into smaller spots, so that two or three rows run down to the same ocellus. There still remains another rery curious point, first observed by Mr. T. W. Wood,^! which deserves attention In a photo- graph, given me by Mr. Ward, of a specimen mounted as in the act of display, it may be seen that on the feathers which are held perpendicularly the white marks on the ocelli, repre- senting light reflected from a convex surface, are at the upper or furtner end, that is, are directed upward; and the bird *» The " Fidd,'' May ^8, xfiyj^. Fig. 6i.—Portion near summit of one of the secondary wing-feathers, bearing per- fect ball-and-socket ocelli, a. Ornamented upper part. b. Uppermost, imperfect ball- and-sock
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjecthumanbeings, bookyear
