Ornithological and Other Oddities 



proffered affection of her suitor with equal satis- 

 faction. And so it is not surprising to find that 

 the bird, "a sweet gushing child of Nature," 

 works in the blush to express hatred and a 

 number of other promiscuous feelings as well 

 as conjugal affection. This is well seen in the 

 most inveterate blusher among the birds, the 

 common turkey-cock. Whether he be melted 

 to tenderness by the sight of an attractive 

 member of the opposite sex of his species, in- 

 censed by a rival, or stimulated to aggressive 

 manoeuvres by the sight of some creature which 

 appears weak enough to be bullied with safety, 

 the result is very much the same. His livid blue 

 complexion changes to a lively scarlet, the fleshy 

 horn on his forehead droops down below his beak 

 in horrid flabbiness, and his dewlap and its pen- 

 dant beads enlarge magnificently. Sir Bubbly-jock 

 can, indeed, thus claim to have the most expres- 

 sive countenance found on any living creature, 

 not even excepting his owner and consumer. 

 For which of us, however irate or affectionate 

 in mood, can enrich his expression by extending 

 his nose down to his chest, or assuming a series 

 of double chins ? In fact, the plastic features 

 of the farmyard bully are even more remarkable 

 than his change of colour, though even in this 

 respect he stands far ahead of everything else 



in feathers. Nature seems to look with a some- 



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