From J. J. Weir   [4–7] May 1868¹

My Dear Sir

I was at the Zoological Gardens on Saturday, & saw one of the Bronze Winged Pigeons of Australia display itself to the ♀ a sight I have longed to see for years.—

The species was the Ptilophaps cristata, its attitude was most strange, it placed itself before the ♀ almost perpendicularly with the head downwards nearly touching the ground, the tail elevated & spread and the wings half expanded so as to exhibit the iridescent feathers on the coverts all at one view, the bird then very slowly raised & depressed the whole of the body wings & tail in order as it seemed to me to allow the suns rays to play upon the iridescent feathers to the greatest advantage, in fact it appeared to make as much of its metallic feathers as a Pavo would of its tail.—²

The Keeper told me that the shorter tailed “Phaps” made quite as much use of its ornamented wings but that its attitude was quite different.—³

The black bullfinch in my aviary has rubbed the feathers off her beak, in her ceaseless endeavours to injure her ordinary colored rival, caged for security from her attacks.—⁴

It is instructive even to see the attitudes of so plain a colored bird as the common linnet, the male has these characteristics, white edgings to the primaries & tail & a rosy breast & crown, now when this bird is singing, the primaries droop slightly so as to shew all the white lines, the tail is expanded so as to exhibit the white edgings & the breast is distended so that the red is displayed to the greatest advantage, the attitude of the bird being not unlike a pouter pigeon.—⁵

There are now in the markets vast numbers of Ruffs, (Machetes), and I am informed by a dealer in Leadenhall that the males are very much more numerous than the females, they have not yet assumed fully the nuptial hackles.—⁶

The more I observe & reflect the more convinced I am of sexual selection having played a most important part in the colors of birds.—

No doubt the song in plain colored birds, such as Nightingales, Larks, Blackcaps & others, has been perfected by a similar selection, the best singers are the most attractive, it is quite certain that the male Nightingale takes up a station which it occupies until the female is attracted to the spot by its melody.—⁷

Believe me | My Dear Sir | Yours very sincerely | J Jenner Weir

C Darwin Esq^r.