Arèhandicap' Equilibria Merely \quirky Possibilities"? Notes -neither Cite nor Circulate

Hurd's (1995) model of a discrete action-response game in which the interests of signallers and receivers connict, is extended to address games in which, as well as signal cost varying with signaller quality, the value of an observer's response to a signal is also dependent on signaller quality. It is shown that non-handicap signalling equilibria exist for such a model. Grafen's (1990) proof of Zahavi's handicap principle is generalised in an analogous manner, and it is demonstrated that non-handicap signalling equilibria also exist for this continuous model of honest signalling, and that the handicap equilibria that do exist may indeed be \quirky possibilities".