ITS LEK. 131 



spring and before the dispersion of the great winter 

 packs spoken of. 



But whether or not the Dal-Bipa hold a Lek prior to 

 the breaking up of the great packs, as M. Barth would 

 seem to imply, we have ample information as to the pro- 

 ceedings of this bird at an after-period. 



" In the spring of the year," says the celebrated 

 missionary Laestaduis, " the great packs of Dal-Ripa 

 separate, and these birds are then only seen in single 

 pairs. They are, therefore, not polygamous. Never- 

 theless, they would not appear to hold the nuptial 

 tie particularly sacred, for I have often seen the males 

 engaged in desperate combats and pursuing one another 

 in the air with the most savage hatred, now and then 

 uttering a wrathful and broken cry somewhat resembling 

 the sound of ag. The female has a certain call-note by 

 which she entices not only her young brood when 

 separated from her, but also the male in the pairing 

 season, which note resembles a soft, subdued, and whis- 

 pering-like njau, njau, nja^l. 



" The Ripa, at the season in question," the worthy 

 missionary goes on to say, " keeps up a right joyous noise 

 in the woods ; for the males often ' laugh,' and when the 

 one gives forth his triumphant cry, another, in his own 

 locality, replies to let the challenger know he is as good 

 a champion as himself ; and thus the cry, which is re- 

 sponded to by all the males in succession, runs through the 

 woods in like manner as a speaking telegraph. It is at 

 an early hour in the morning, say from one to four or 

 five o'clock, and for a while in the evening, that the forest 

 thus rings with the glad notes of these birds." 



Again: "The pairing season with the Dal-Ripa," we 

 are told by M. Gronlund (Qvickjock, Lapland), "com- 

 mences in May. They do not hold any regular Lek like 

 the Capercali and the Black-Cock, but it is said that, as 



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