I iiiirtcKH of A. C. Bent 

 On the Kun. — In tlif (iMncr lie runs and postures, rises and turns aljoul in tlie air, and even fights 

 a little from time to time. Tlic neck tufts are thrust forward like a ral)liit's cars, and the air sacs are 

 inflated until they resemble small oranges 



"white flag" of a deer. With all his 

 beauties thus displayed the heath cock 

 is a handsome fellow, but seems bizarre 

 and unbirdlike to human eyes. 



The booming or "tooting" sound is 

 ])rodueed, not when the air is expelled 

 from the sacs, but while they are swell- 

 ing, and stops then until they have 

 been more or less detiat^'d. Jt is not so 

 deep and resonant as is that produced 

 by the prairie chicken, and never re- 

 sembles "the distant croaking of bull- 

 frogs or the grunting of buifaloes," 

 resemblances which Xuttall ascribes to 

 the booming of the prairie chicken. It 

 may lie likened to the soughing of the 

 wind, or the noise produced l)y l)lowing 

 gently into a small bottle or phial, but 

 is more musical. It is commonly a 

 double iroo'-doo. or at times a triple 

 oo-no'-inn). with tlic accent on the sec- 

 itnd sNJlable and all on the same pitch. 

 Tliere is no ))erce|it ibie linal falling in- 

 flection, but it ends in the air like a 

 Scotch ballad. Harely the last note 

 comes on a lower ))itch than the others, 

 and a few birds sound a deeper tone all 

 through it. but most of them maintain 

 the same pitch, ami when forty or fifty 

 are engaged in tbc dance a tjreat vol- 



ume of sound is produced lasting al- 

 most continuously for two hours or 

 more. It has something of the quality 

 of the subdued and distant echo of 

 many medium pitched steam whistles. 

 Above this can be heard a medley of 

 vocal notes, some like the squeal of a 

 frightened rabbit, some regular war 

 whoops, such as ivoooiv or waugh, others 

 flatter, snarling calls given when two 

 males are facing each other. There are 

 numy cackling and laughing sounds, 

 some resembling those emitted by gulls, 

 others those given, by barnyard fowls. 

 There are queer clucking and chuckling 

 noises. The conversational character 

 of some of these sounds recalls similar 

 notes heard in more subdued tones 

 from a flock of bobwhites. There are 

 others resembling the whine of a puppy 

 and one of the calls of a jay. Cooing 

 also is heard, but no billing is seen. 

 When close at band the cries are more 

 striking than the continued chorus of 

 the ''tooting," but at a distance of a 

 mile or more, where the booming was 

 plainlv audii)le. only (me of the louder 

 vocal c;ills could be lieai'd. 



The males danced much of the time 

 while producing these sounds. The 



28;5 



