Origin of Species Variorum

↑ 1 blocks not present in 1859 1860 1861 1866 1872; present in 1869

It may appear childish to attribute any effect to such apparently weak means:

→ It may appear childish to attribute any effect to such apparently weak means: I 1859 1860 1861 1866

I 1869 1872

→ to support this view; 1859 1860 1861 1866

details; 1869 1872

→ elegant carriage and beauty 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

beauty and an elegant carriage 1872

→ I strongly suspect that 1859 1860 1861 1866

OMIT 1869 1872

→ be explained on the view of plumage having been chiefly modified by 1859 1860 1861 1866

be explained through the action of 1869

partly be explained through the action of 1872

→ individual males have 1859 1860 1861 1866

by individual males having 1869 1872

gorgeous

plumage;

plumage

they likewise

and

perform strange antics before the females,

which

which,

standing by as spectators, at last choose the most attractive partner. Those who have closely attended to birds in confinement well know that they often take individual preferences and

dislikes;

dislikes:

thus Sir R. Heron has described how

one

pied peacock was eminently attractive to all his hen birds. ↑ →It may appear childish to attribute any effect to such apparently weak means: I cannot here enter on the

~~details~~

details

necessary →to support this view; but if man can in a short time give →elegant carriage and beauty to his bantams, according to his standard of beauty, I can see no good reason to doubt that female birds, by selecting, during thousands of generations, the most melodious or beautiful males, according to their standard of beauty, might produce a marked effect. →I strongly suspect that

Some

some

well-known

laws

laws,

with respect to the plumage of male and female birds, in comparison with the plumage of the young, can →be explained on the view of plumage having been chiefly modified by sexual

selection

selection,

acting when the birds have come to the breeding age or during the breeding season; the modifications thus produced being inherited at corresponding ages or seasons, either by the males alone, or by the males and females; but I have not space here to enter on this subject.

Thus it is, as I believe, that when the males and females of any animal have the same general habits of life, but differ in structure, colour, or ornament, such differences have been mainly caused by sexual

selec- tion;

selection:

selection;

that is, →individual males have had, in successive generations, some slight advantage over other males, in their weapons, means of defence, or

charms,

charms;

which they

and

having

have

transmitted

~~these advantages~~