l remark of yours
about the trimmed game cocks, and shall be quoted by me. (428/1.
"Descent of Man," Edition I., Volume II., page 117. "Mr. Tegetmeier is
convinced that a game cock, though disfigured by being dubbed with his
hackles trimmed, would be accepted as readily as a male retaining all
his natural ornaments.") Nevertheless I am still inclined from many
facts strongly to believe that the beauty of the male bird determines
the choice of the female with wild birds, however it may be under
domestication. Sir R. Heron has described how one pied peacock was extra
attentive to the hens. This is a subject which I must take up as soon as
my present book is done.

I shall be most particularly obliged to you if you will dye with magenta
a pigeon or two. (428/2. "Mr. Tegetmeier, at my request, stained some
of his birds with magenta, but they were not much noticed by the
others."--"Descent of Man" (1901), page 637.) Would it not be better
to dye the tail alone and crown of head, so as not to make too great
difference? I shall be very curious to hear how an entirely crimson
pigeon will be received by the others as well as his mate.

P.S.--Perhaps the best experiment, for my purpose, would be to colour a
young unpaired male and turn him with other pigeons, and observe whether
he was longer or quicker than usual in mating.

LETTER 429. TO A.R. WALLACE. Down, April 29th [1867].

I have been greatly interested by your letter, but your view is not new
to me. (429/1. We have not been able to find Mr. Wallace's letter to
which this is a reply. It evidently refers to Mr. Wallace's belief in
the paramount importance of protection in the evolution of colour. This
is clear from the P.S. to the present letter and from the passages in
the "Origin" referred to. The first reference, Edition IV., page 240,
is as follows: "We can sometimes plainly see the proximate cause of the
transmission of ornaments to the males alone; for a pea-hen with the
long tail of the male bird would be badly fitted to sit on her eggs, and
a coal-black female capercailzie would be far more conspicuous on her
nest, and more exposed to danger, than in her present modest attire."
The passages in Edition I. (pages 89, 101) do not directly bear on the
question of protection.) If you will look at page 240 of the fourth
edition of the "Origin" you will find it very briefly given with
two extreme examples of the peacock and black grouse. A more general
statement is g