246 THE BIRD WATCHER 
described—is not fr@ftently heard ; but still, whatever 
I have seen them doing they have generally been 
doing it dumbly. This includes the series of funny 
little bows or bobs, accompanied by a shuffling from 
one foot to the other, which the male, one may say 
with certainty, is in the habit of making to the female, 
but which probably the female—as in the case of other 
sea-birds I have mentioned—also sometimes makes 
to the male. A display of this sort is usually followed 
by a little kissing or nebbing match, after which, one 
of the birds, standing so as directly to face the other, 
will often raise, and then again lower, the head, some 
eight or nine times in succession, in a half solemn 
manner, at the same time opening its gaudy beak, 
sometimes to a considerable extent, yet all the while 
without uttering a sound. All this looks very 
affectionate, but I have often remarked that after 
one such display and interchange of endearments, the 
bird that has initiated or taken the leading part in 
both, turns to another, and repeats, or offers to 
repeat, the performance—for on such occasions it 
does not, as a rule, receive much encouragement from 
the second bird. 
The male puffin, therefore—for I hardly suppose it 
to be the female who acts in this way—would seem 
to be of a large-hearted disposition. This silent 
opening of the bill which I have spoken of 1s, there- 
fore, an accustomed—probably an important—part of 
the advances made by the one sex towards the other ; 
and here again I have been much struck by the bright 
