similar prolongations from the succeeding upper spots; but I do not feel sure of this. These three marks, _b_, _c_, and _d_, with the intervening bright shades, form together the so-called elliptic ornament. These ornaments stand in a line parallel to the shaft, and manifestly correspond in position with the ball-and-socket ocelli. Their extremely elegant appearance cannot be appreciated in the drawing, as the orange and leaden tints, contrasting so well with the black marks, cannot be shewn. [Illustration: Fig. 58. Portion of one of the Secondary wing-feathers near to the body; shewing the so-called elliptic ornaments. The right-hand figure is given merely as a diagram for the sake of the letters of reference. A, B, C, &c. Rows of spots running down to and forming the elliptic ornaments. _b_. Lowest spot or mark in row B. _c_. The next succeeding spot or mark in the same row. _d_. Apparently a broken prolongation of the spot _c_ in the same row B.] Between one of the elliptic ornaments and a perfect ball-and-socket ocellus, the gradation is so perfect that it is scarcely possible to decide when the latter term ought to be used. I regret that I have not given an additional drawing, besides fig. 58, which stands about half-way in the series between one of the simple spots and a perfect ocellus. The passage from the elliptic ornament into an ocellus is effected by the elongation and greater curvature in opposed directions of the lower black mark (_b_), and more especially of the upper one (_c_), together with the contraction of the irregular sub-triangular or narrow mark (_d_), so that at last these three marks become confluent, forming an irregular elliptic ring. This ring is gradually rendered more and more circular and regular, at the same time increasing in diameter. Traces of the junction of all three elongated spots or marks, especially of the two upper ones, can still be observed in many of the most perfect ocelli. The broken state of the black ring on the upper side of the ocellus in fig. 56 was pointed out. The irregular sub-triangular or narrow mark (_d_) manifestly forms, by its contraction and equalisation, the thickened portion of the ring on the left upper side of the perfect ball-and-socket ocellus. The lower part of the ring is invariably a little thicker than the other parts (see fig. 56), and this follows from the lower black mark of the elliptic ornament (_b_) having been originally thicker than the upper mark (_c_). Every step can be followed in the process of confluence and modification; and the black ring which surrounds the ball of the ocellus is unquestionably formed by the union and modification of the three black marks, _b_, _c_, _d_, of the elliptic ornament. The irregular zigzag black marks between the successive ocelli (see again fig. 56) are plainly due to the breaking up of the somewhat more regular but similar marks between the elliptic ornaments.