248 Wonders of the Bird World 



like that of a frog or a cricket than that of a bird. This 

 call is supposed to be a note of invitation to the females, or 

 a challenge to some rival male, and is often interpreted by 

 the latter as such, with the result that a fierce battle ensues. 

 The hen-bird is also said to have the same habit of springing 

 a few feet into the air. 



Mr. J. G. Millais in his interesting work on South Africa, 

 entitled a ' Breath from the Veldt,' gives several illustrations 

 of the playing of Bustards, one instance of which he de- 

 scribes as follows " Every evening as the sun approaches 

 the horizon, the Bush-Khoorhan (Lophotis ruficrista] rises 

 from the grass and mounts perpendicularly into the air, when, 

 from a height of IOO to 200 feet, it closes its wings and 

 drops head-first to the earth, only opening its wings to 

 break its fall, after one of the most extraordinary aerial 

 feats I have ever seen. Whether it is a form of evening 

 sun- worship or a mere ' good-night ' to the golden orb, I 

 must leave my reader to determine." 



One very amusing aspect of this showing off on the part 

 of the Bustards is the extreme indifference affected by the 

 female during the performance. Apparently she takes no 

 notice of the antics of her mate, but goes on feeding as if 

 the proceedings did not interest her, and all the time the 

 male is pawing the ground, and distending his pouch, 

 occasionally springing round to display the beautiful 

 arrangement of white under tail-coverts which he has 

 thrown up like a frill. The same indifference in the hen- 

 bird is seen in the Reeve, when the male Ruff is disporting 

 himself for her admiration. This Wading-bird (Pavoncdla 

 pugnax] is one of the most interesting of all the Charadriida, 

 the Order which embraces the Plovers and Snipes. The 

 difference between the plumage of the sexes of the Ruff is 

 more than usually marked, and a further phenomenon is 

 seen in the peculiar diversity of breeding dress assumed by 

 the male bird. Scarcely any two are alike, and the large 



