Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1936-05-22
The Naturalist's Column
(By Frazer 6. Poole)
PART II

In speaking of the plumage of
birds we mentioned in part l that
feathers serve in many cases as a
means of sexual attraction. This
is not, perhaps, their most impor-
tant function but it is, from
many standpoints, the most inter-
esting.
The feathers of birds are modi-
fled to serve sexually in various
ways, eg., (l) Feathers may serve
for sexual attraction merely by
their color Cardinals, Bluebirds,
Tanagers, and others); (2) Fea-
theirs may be modified into special
organs Of attraction (Peacocks,
Birds of Paradise, and Greeted
Screamers) 81 Feathers may
serve to attract by being modified
for sound (Ruffed Grouse, and
English Drumming Snipe.)
The observant and thoughtful
reader will doubtless question
statement No. (1) Immediately
and so let us discuss it in detail.
Darwin in his "Origin of the
Species" says in regard to natural
selection: ct cannot enter here on
the necessary details; but if man
can in a short time give beauty
and an elegant carriage to his
bantams, according to his stand
ards of beauty, I can see no good
reason to doubt that female birds,
by selecting during thousands of
generations, the most melodius OF
beautiful males, according to their
standard of beautyy might produce
a marked effect" Apparently OAR
win is here giving to the females
of the avian world the ability and
esthetic ems necessary to choose
those males possessing the most
brilliantly colored plumage.
That perhaps offers the simp!-
est explanation for the fact that
among North American birds
where there is a differentiation of
color among the sexes-the malee
are almost invariably brighter. In
fact the only exceptions that come
to my mind off-hand consist of
two or three species of the Phala-
rope family. This explanation,
however, is open to a good deal of
criticism, and not without reason.
If this explanation is true it would
certainly place at a disadvantage
those birds that breed before the
males have attained fully adult
plumage, eg., the Redstarts and
Orioles. Again one wonders just
what course this theory of sexual
selection would follow in those
cases where neither sex is brighter,
or where neither is possessed of
particular characteristics that could
be used in attracting the opposite
sex. The above discussion is not
intended to be deep or conclusive.
Rather it merely scratches the
surface. There has, as yet, been
no theory advanced that success
fully accounts for the difference
in plumage of the sexes of certain
species.
In number ~ we come to a
consideration that is of somewhat
less significance. In the Pea
cocks, familiar to everyone, the tail
is so modified that it acts as a
special means of attraction. The
male in his pride and conceit par
AIDES up and down before the mate
of his choice and shows his finery
in the height of an elegant display.
Should two males desire the same
female there may ensue a fight.
Pheasants go drought the same
display, using the heightened tails
to attract the females. Birds of
Paradise also are possessors of I'M
usually beautiful plumage modified
in the form Of long tails.
In the Ruffed Grouse we have
a consideration of a somewhat diff
ferent nature. Here we have a
modification of plumage not for
display but rather for sound. 10
anyone who has witnessed the
poles at either end of the stand
will carry the American and COL