Identifier: descentofmansele02darw (find matches)
Title: The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex
Year: 1871 (1870s)
Authors: Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882
Subjects: Evolution Natural selection Heredity Human beings -- Origin Evolution
Publisher: London, J. Murray
Contributing Library: MBLWHOI Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MBLWHOI Library

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shew traces, as may be seen in the drawing(fig. 53), of indentations, or rather breaks. These in-dentations are common to the Indian and Javan pea-cocks (Pavo cristatus and P. muiicus) ; and they seemedto me to deserve particular attention, as probably con-nected with the development of the ocellus; but for along time I could not conjecture their meaning. If we admit the principle of gradual evolution, theremust formerly have existed many species which pre-sented every successive step between the wonderfullyelongated tail-coverts of the peacock and the short tail- •^ Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication, vol. i.p. 254. Chap. XIV. GRADATION OF CHARACTERS. 137 coverts of all ordinary birds; and again between themagnificent ocelli of the former, and the simpler ocellior mere coloured spots of other birds; and so withall the other characters of the peacock. Let us lookto the alHed Gallinaceae for any still-existing grada-tions. The species and sub-species of Polyplectron
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Fig. 53. Feather of Peacock, about two-thirds of natural size, carefully drawn by Mr.Ford. The transparent zone is represented by the outermost white zone, confined tothe upper end of the disc. inhabit countries adjacent to the native land of thepeacock ; and they so far resemble this bird that theyare sometimes called peacock-pheasants. I am alsoinformed by Mr. Bartlett that they resemble the pea-cock in their voice and in some of their habits. During 138 SEXUAL SELECTION : BIEDS. Part IL the spring the males, as previously described, strutabout before the comparatively plain-coloured females,expanding and erecting their tail and wing-feathers,which are ornamented with numerous ocelli. I requestthe reader to turn back to the drawing (fig. 51, p. 90)of a Polyplectron. In P. Na)^oleonis the ocelli areconfined to the tail, and the back is of a rich me-tallic blue, in which respects this species approachesthe Java peacock. P. Hardivickii possesses a pecu-liar top-knot, somewhat like that

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