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Show !H EX.UAL , ELECTION : BIRDS. r .utT II. together, but it appear::; that when sexual selection has been highly influential, and has given bright colours to the males of any species, it has a1 ·o very often given a strong t nclency to pugnacity. We shall meet with nearly analogous cases when we treat of mammals. On the other hand, with birds the power of song and brilliant colours have rarely been both acquired by the males of the same species; but in this ca. e, the advantage gained would have been identically the same, namely success in charming the female. Nevertheless it must be owned that the males of , cvcral briUiantly-colourod bircls have had their feathers specially modified for the sake of producing instrumental music, though the beauty of this cannot be compared, at lea t according to our taste, with that of the vocal music of many songsters. \Ve will now turn to male uircls which are not ~ruamcntecl in any very high degree, but which nevertheless display, dnring their courtship, whatever attractions they may possess. rrhese cases are in some l'Cspects more curious than the foregoing, and have been but little noticed. I owe the following facts, selected from a large body of valuable notes, sent to me by Mr. ,Jenner vVeir, who has long k ept birds of many kinds, including all the British Fringilliche and Emberizidro. The bullfinch makes his advances in front of tho female, and then puffs out his breast, so that many more of the crimson feathers are seen at once than otherwise would be tho case. At the same time he twists and bows his black tail from side to side in a ludicrous manner. The male chaffinch also stands in front of the female, thus :-:;hewing his red breast, and "blue bell," as the fanciers call his hearl; the wings at the same time being slightly expanded, with the pure white bands on the shoulders thus rendered conspicuous. rrhe c.ommon linnet distends CHAP. XIII. DI. PLA. y DY TilE l\IALE . 95 t1 1i's1 rosy bre<a st' s II' g I1 tl y expands his brown . ftt' so as to make tho best f h wmgs and white cd()'inrrs W t. ]o t em by exhibiting their l . b o· • e mu .. ' 1owcvcr be t' . c udmo· that th . ' can wus m con-as sombe birds ae cwt mthg s areh s prca 1 t 1 <c. ou so ely for display, '"1 . . us w o e Wino·s a. b ..1. us IS the case with the clo t' b' • Ie not eautiful. t1u• o wm• g on tho side opposm.i tees t1o0 ctohc l-~,~ b u t 1I' t I·S a 1. w aJv s expanded and at tl . . c .Lema e whiCh is n ' ' le same tunc scr l I he male goldfinch behaves d ·cr . ap~c on the ground. :finches: his winrrs at·e b t'fl lcient y from all other bl l . b < eau 1 u th h 1d a.c c, With the cl•a i·l-'--tl'p pocl wm. ' £ tel s ou ers beinrr b wlnte and edged with 11 g- ea 1ers spotted with the female, he sways ft~ <. ~n 1 yellow. ~Vhen he courts quickly turns his sligl~tl 0( Y. from Side. to side, and one side then to the otl . y. elxpanded \rmgs first to v 1e1 Wit 1 fl. n·old fl 1 · .L'O other British fi 1 'l\r 'b .. en asung effect. 1 . nc 1, as r \Ven· m£ c unng his courtship f. · 1· . orms me, turns lOll SIC e to Side . tl . not even the c1osel y-a 111' ecl mal · 1 · I~n us manner '. thus add to his bea t < e SIS nn, lOr he would not u y. 1\:rost of the British D t' b . un m rrs are I)l . 1 . ut m tho Sininn· the ~ th o am-co om·ed bu·ds. o lOa ers on th h 1 f ' reed-bunting (Embe1·iza sol . o cac o the male colour by the abrasion of ;:ntfttl~s) a.cquire a fine black erected during the act f' e c u . '-Y tips; and these are . • o court h1p .1\I • 'xr · two speCies of A d' f · 1 ma ma rom Aust 1' • •v eu· has kept Miis is a very small l ra Ia : the A. casta-a clark tail, white r~m anc ~~astely-colourecl finch, with each of the latter· bp, ~nc Jet-black upper tail-coverts . em 0' m 'll'ked . th ' con, P.ICuous oval spots ot' \Yhi~e so r WI. thr~e large courtmg tho female, slio·htl ·. . This speCies, when these parti·coloured t ~1 y spiea~s out and vibratos manner. The male A ai -cl~verts m a very peculiar mac ·met Lathami beh aves very Rn For tho (lcsori Jti Birds of Aut . ]' ,1 on. of these Linls co G ld' • 1[1 w, vol. l. 18G5, p. 417.' . ou s 'Handbook to tho |