Chap. XIV. Preference by tlte Female. 417 



courtship of fowls. I have received long letters on this subject 

 from Messrs. Hewitt and Tegetnieier, and almost an essay from 

 the late Mr. Brent. It will be admitted by every one that these 

 gentlemen, so well known from their published works, are 

 careful and experienced observers. They do not believe that 

 the females prefer certain males on account of the beauty of 

 their plumage ; but some allowance must be made for the arti- 

 ficial state under which these birds have long been kept. Mr. 

 Tegetmeier is convinced that a game-cock, though disfigured by 

 being dubbed and with his hackles trimmed, would be accepted 

 as readily as a male retaining all his natural ornaments. Mr. 

 Brent, however, admits that the beauty of the male probably 

 aids in exciting the female ; and her acquiescence is necessary. 

 Mr. Hewitt is convinced that the union is by no means left to 

 mere chance, for the female almost invariably prefers the most 

 vigorous, defiant, and mettlesome male ; hence it is almost 

 useless, as he remarks, " to attempt true breeding if a game-cock 

 " in good health and condition runs the locality, for almost 

 " every hen on leaving the roosting-place will resort to the 

 " game-cock, even though that bird may not actually drive 

 " away the male of her own variety." Under ordinary circum- 

 stances the males and females of the fowl seem to come to a 

 mutual understanding by means of certain gestures, described 

 to me by Mr. Brent. But hens will often avoid the officious 

 attentions of young males. Old hens, and hens of a pugnacious 

 disposition, as the same writer informs me, dislike strange 

 males, and will not yield until well beaten into compliance, 

 Ferguson, however, describes how a quarrelsome hen was 

 subdued by the gentle courtship of a Shanghai cock. 21 



There is reason to believe that pigeons of both sexes prefer 

 pairing with birds of the same breed; and dovecot-pigeons 

 dislike all the highly improved breeds. 22 Mr. Harrison Weir 

 has lately heard from a trustworthy observer, who keeps blue 

 pigeons, that these drive away all other coloured varieties, such 

 as white, red, and yellow ; and from another observer, that a 

 female dun carrier could not, after repeated trials, be matched 

 with a black male, but immediately paired with a dun. Again. 

 Mr. Tegetmeier had a female blue turbit that obstinately 

 refused to pair with two males of the same breed, which were 

 successively shut up with her for weeks ; but on being let out 

 she would have immediately accepted the first blue dragon that 

 offered. As she was a valuable bird, she was then shut up for 



21 ' Rare and Prize Poultry,' 1854, Plants under Domestication,' v >L ii 

 p. 27. p. 103. 



22 ' The Variation of Animals and 



19 



