THE OSPREY. 



95 



Yet, on at least two occasions, I found 

 this unmistakably the case. On April 

 30, 18^)5, I saw, with a g-ood g-lass, two 

 female Flickers assiduously courting- a 

 sing-le male. I was quite near the birds, 

 which were on an old "snaij" low down, 

 and the differentiating- of the sexes by 

 means of the mustache and g-eneral shape 

 of the head was beyond doubt. Each fe- 

 male would approach the sing-le gallant, 

 and display her charms with the most 

 extravag-ant gig-g-les ; and if one seemed 

 to be making- some headway, the other 

 would fly and alig-ht in betw^een her and 

 the mutual beau. 



Occasionally the male would make 

 some rather affectionate advances toward 

 one, which (advances) would be mildly 

 rejected, as if to say, "no special favors 

 until this business of choice is settled." 

 At times he would fly away, as if dis- 

 g-usted with the whole performance, and 

 beg-in tapping- on some tree, but at once 

 the two beauties would follow him and 

 g-etting directly in front beg-in to display 

 the beautiful marg-ins of their trains and 

 the brilliancy of their back hair. 



I never knew how it was settled, as I 

 was compelled to leave, but during- the 

 half hour I watched them there was 

 never any attempt at fighting- or even 



bluffing. It seemed just a g-ood natured 

 contest display of beauty and devotion. 



Ag-ain, a year later, on April the 26th, 

 I saw three Flickers flirting in a tall tree 

 top, and put a g-lass upon them, but their 

 antics were so vigorous that I could not 

 distinguish the sexes. But shortly two 

 of them flew away, and as the remaining- 

 one was a female, I inferred that here 

 ag-ain was a case of two new women in 

 feathers. Of course any fleld ornitholo- 

 g-ist must have noted the female Flicker 

 persecuted with the attentions of many 

 male admirers, but I should like to know 

 if any brother bird gazer has noted this 

 leap year tendency of this genus. 



This bird seems to have its flirting an- 

 tics set upon hair-trigger ; for I have 

 often seen them suspend their nodding 

 and giggling when I approached, but 

 begin it again if even a twig were 

 snapped or the slightest vocal noise were 

 made. Any movement on the part of 

 one bird sets the whole group to. bowing 

 and scraping again. 



Of course courting females ( and antics ) 

 are very ancient, still found among the 

 low birds, but as this habit is found among 

 none other of our Woodpeckers, it is 

 probably a comparatively modern prac- 

 tice. 



A Peculiar Hybrid. 



BY CLEMET L. WEBSTEK. 



WHILE conducting scientific inves- 

 tigations in South-western New 

 Mexico, during 1889~'92, 1 learned 

 of a peculiar, though quite common, 

 hybrid, or cross between the common 

 hen and the "Road Runner" or "Chap- 

 arral Cock" ( GeococcYx raliforuiauiis) of 

 that region. 



In the Rio Mimbres valley I first 

 learned of this fact. It was observed that 

 during the spring and early summer the 

 Mexican women were very watchful of 

 their flocks of hens, and that the}- would 

 not infrequently be seen "chasing some- 

 thing away." 



In a little time I learned all about this 

 apparently, at first sight, peculiar pro- 

 ceeding, and found that that strange and 

 peculiar bird of the South-western plains, 

 the Chaparral Cock, annoyed the owners 

 of hens in the valley very much during 



the periods mentioned by the males get- 

 ting among the the hens and leading 

 them away into the adjoining foothills; 

 and as a result of this association an ob- 

 jectionable cross was brought about 

 between the hens and this bird. 



The hen's eggs, when hatched, devel- 

 oped chickens having much of the same 

 roving habits and pugnacious disposition 

 of the Chaparral Cock; and the Mexicans 

 found it almost impossible to keep them 

 at home. 



In aspect this hybrid had the general 

 appearance of the hen, although pos- 

 sessing also many of the peculiarities of 

 form and disposition of its wild progeni- 

 tor. 



The habits of the Chaparral Cocks are 

 very peculiar. It is a very swift runner 

 and constantly on the go. It never flies, 

 save when pressed by a pursuer, then will 



