Identifier: birdlifeguid00chap (find matches)
Title: Bird-life; a guide to the study of our common birds
Year: 1898 (1890s)
Authors: Chapman, Frank M. (Frank Michler), 1864-1945 Seton, Ernest Thompson, 1860-1946
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: New York, D. Appleton and company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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e likely toaccept the attentions of a bird pleasing in her eye thanone who was less strikingly adorned. This has beentermed by Lloyd Morgan preferential mating. Wallace has accepted the law of battle as an effectiveagent in producing certain characters, but considers itnatural, rather than sexual selection, and he denies theexistence of any important evidence proving female selec-tion. He therefore attributes many secondary sexualcharacters to a surplus of vital energy, which, because ofa birds perfect adaptation to the conditions of its exist-ence, can expend itself in the production of bright colorsand ornamental plumes without injury to their owners.That is to say, Wallace ascribes to the action of naturalselection any secondary sexual character which is of prac-tical use to the male in conflicts with a rival, but deniesthe female any part in the matter of pairing. Darwin,as I have said, attributes to the female an aesthetictaste which renders the brilliant colors or display of the
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Plate XIII. Page 102. MOURNING DOVE. Length, 11-75 inches. Upper parts olive grayish brown, sides and back of neck iridescent; breast with a pinkish tinge, belly buff; outer tail-feathers tipped with white. COLOR AND SEX. 47 male an attractive sight, influencing her choice of amate. There is thus a practical agreement in the views ofthese naturalists on the origin of those sexual characterswhich may be classed as weapons, and this opinion is, Ibelieve, generally accepted. But the question of femalepreference, and its influence on the development of brightcolors and accessory plumes, still lacks confirmation.Here is an opportunity for every one who can watch wildbirds mating. 50 TIMES OF MIGRATION.. ^shouldered and Hed-tailed Hawks, Barred and ScreechOwls, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, Blue Jay, Crow,Goldfinch, Song Sparrow, White-breasted Nuthatch, andChickadee. Generally speaking, the birds in the front rank ofthe feathered army which soon will invade the land arethose whose winter qu

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