Sob Townsend, Courtship in Birds. (July 



the great bird bows towards the object of his affection, emits a 

 raucous cry, and the green, quivering sea shell curves beseech- 

 ingly towards her. Who can resist such fascination? 



But all birds are not so well fitted for display as the Peacock 

 who appears to have reached the very acme in this direction, but 

 a study of some of the less brilliant birds bears out, perhaps more 

 clearly, the efforts of the male in display. The male Red-winged 

 Blackbird, when engaged in feeding on the ground, appears as a 

 simple black bird. Sometimes not a trace of color is visible, 

 although he may show a narrow yellow line or a somewhat broader 

 line with red in it on his shoulders. When engaged in courtship 

 these same shoulders blaze with scarlet color. Not only are the 

 surrounding black feathers pushed back so that the epaulets are 

 broad and conspicuous, but each individual scarlet feather is 

 erected and the epaulets are thick and striking. Not only that, 

 but he flies slowly and directly towards the female and the beauty 

 spots are displayed to her eyes, if she will but bestow a glance 

 at them, under the most favorable and dazzling circumstances. 



The male Eider swimming about and bowing to the female 

 suddenly rises up on his tail in the water and flashes out the mag- 

 nificent jet black shield on his belly, a color that ought not to be 

 there according to the concealing colorationists. In the same 

 way the Merganser drake displays his splendid white shirt front 

 with its delicate tinge of salmon pink. 



The male Bittern, as he strides about, extends the fluffy white 

 feathers from under the wings in striking display. The male 

 Blue-headed Vireo puffs out the yellow flank feathers till he seems 

 nearly double the size of the slender female, and the Myrtle War- 

 bler droops his wings to display his yellow rump and puffs out 

 the yellow and black feathers on his sides. 



The Black Guillemot as he courtesies to the female in the water 

 opens wide his mouth and displays for her admiration the scarlet 

 lining. The display of the inflated orange-colored neck-sacks of 

 the Heath Hen is but a small part of the remarkable courtship 

 display of this bird. 



The Black Duck and the Domestic Pigeon in the ardor of court- 

 ship take short flights by the females and the white lining of their 

 wings become momentarily in evidence. The Golden-eye drake 



