274 THE BIRD WATCHER 
and then the hens allgeurted his rival.’ Female birds 
not only exert a choice, but in some few cases they 
court the male and even fight together for his posses- 
sion. (I, however, would demur to the word “few” 
and ask how much we really know about it.) Sir R. 
Heron states that with pea-fowl the first advances are 
always made by the female; something of the same 
kind takes place, according to Audubon, with the 
older females of the wild turkey. With the caper- 
cailzie the females flit round the male whilst he is 
parading at one of the places of assemblage, and 
solicit his attention” (pp. 418-419). What is this if 
not a double courtship? And the male capercailzie, 
if I remember rightly, is capricious in his selection 
of the hens. Again: “ Mr. Bartlett believes that the 
lophophorus, like many other gallinaceous birds, is 
naturally polygamous, but two females cannot be 
placed in the same cage with a male, as they fight 
so much together” (p. 420). Finally we have this : 
“The following instance of rivalry is more surprising 
as it relates to bullfinches, which usually pair for life. 
Mr. Jenner Weir introduced a dull-coloured and 
ugly female into his aviary, and she immediately 
attacked another mated female so unmercifully that 
the latter had to be separated. The new female did 
all the courtship, and was at last successful, for she 
paired with the male; but after a time she met with a 
just retribution, for, ceasing to be pugnacious, she was 
replaced by the old female, and the male then deserted 
his new and returned to his old love” (p. 420). 
