BIRD ACTORS AND THEATRES 239 



able performance, which is wonderfuly described by 

 Darwin. 



As soon as the audience arrives, the actor as- 

 sumes a most dignified air, and raises his tail and 

 stretches his huge wings into a marvellous fan-like 

 shield, which is carried in front of his body. "The 

 neck and head are held to one side so that they are 

 concealed by the fan, but the bird, in order to see 

 the female before whom he is displaying himself, 

 sometimes pushes his head between two of the long 

 feathers . . . and then presents a grotesque ap- 

 pearance. This must be a frequent habit with the 

 bird in a state of nature, for ... on examining 

 some perfect skins sent from the East, we found a 

 place between two of the feathers which was much 

 frayed, as if the head had here been frequently 

 pushed through." 



Reinhardt's ptarmigan of Greenland and Labra- 

 dor and a number of his Alaskan cousins, among 

 which are the white-tailed willow and rock ptarmi- 

 gan, are all great vaudevillists. With them acting 

 is always courting, and they make up for a poor 

 act by wearing gorgeous costumes which they 

 change very often. During the mating season, as 

 soon as the male chooses a partner, he begins to 

 strut around her with his spreading tail and drag- 

 ging wings, and presses his breast against the 



