INDEX 



339 



304 ; suggested origin of this 

 habit, 304, 305 ; and future de- 

 velopment of, 305, 306. Habit of 

 plastering of, seldom alluded to, 

 307 ; nest, how differing from 

 that of thrush, 304 ; male does 

 not sing during nest - building, 

 307 ; song of, unjustly rated, 312 



Blackcap, song of, how differing 

 from nightingale's, 312 



Blackcock, readiness to avoid a 

 conflict shown by male, 75 



Brambling, at straw-stack, 199, 

 202 ; beauty of, 202, 203 



Bullfinch, a bud-eater, 249 ; feeding 

 on elms with blue-tit, 249 ; acro- 

 batism of, 249, 250 ; awkward- 

 ness of, d la Harpagon, 250 ; 

 manner of securing buds, 250 ; 

 attacks blue-tit, 250 ; an example 

 of sexual selection acting in two 

 directions, 318 



Bunting, at straw-stack, 199 



CARESS, a possible origin of the, 

 192 



Carnage, difficulty in conjuring up 

 scenes of, nowadays, 135 



Chaffinch, combats between the 

 hens whilst collecting materials 

 for the nest, 105. At straw-stacks 

 in winter, 199, 201 ; numbers of, 

 predominate, 208. Pugnacity of, 

 and manner of fighting, 208, 209, 

 210 ; acting like tiy-catcher, 247 ; 

 an example of sexual selection 

 acting in two directions, 318 



Chinese, a recipe to dislike killing 

 of, 33 6 



Collectors, immense harm done by, 

 334 



Coot, diving of, 158, 159 ; in 

 flocks in winter, 160. Manner 

 of feeding of, 1 59 ; a better 

 diver than the moor-hen, 160 ; 

 lobes of toes, how possibly ac- 

 quired, I 60, 161 



Cormorants (see also Shag), hop in 

 courtship and for convenience, 

 49 ; their power of ejecting ex- 

 crements to distance, 131 ; nest 

 of, 131 ; excelled by shag in 



diving, 153 ; popular idea of, 

 163 ; evil-looking appearance of, 

 163 ; Longfellow's lines on, 164 ; 

 Milton in connection with, 164, 

 165 ; similarity to shag in habits, 

 etc., 165, 166 



Creature, when observed varying, 

 dubbed new species or variety, 

 229 



Cuckoo, must wait a little, 336 

 Curlew, peculiarities of, 139; resem- 

 blance to ibis, 139 ; an opposite 

 bird, 140; inconspicuous when 

 on ground, 140 ; conspicuous, by 

 contrast, in flight, 140 ; flight, 

 ordinary and nuptial, of, 141 ; 

 note of, 141, 142; its connection 

 with the prophet Jeremiah, 141 



DABCHICK, sporting of three to- 

 gether, with suggested explana- 

 tion of, 87, 88, 89 ; probable way 

 of fighting, 88 ; can fly seriously, 

 149 ; his manners of diving, etc., 

 154, 155, 156; and claims to a 

 tail, 156 



Darwin, sexual selection as con- 

 ceived by, 25 ; his comment on 

 Bate's account of humming-bird 

 destroyed by spider, 52 ; his 

 theory that birds can admire, 

 255 ; origin of language, his 

 view as to the, 289 



EIDER-DUCK, courting note or male, 

 142 ; suggestions, etc., raised by, 

 142, 143 ; difficult to locate, 143. 

 The poetry of the family, 143; 

 female pleasing, 144 ; beauty of 

 male, 144. Courting actions of 

 male, 144, 145 ; and of female, 



145. Female active agent in being 

 wooed, 144 ; demonstrations of 

 female between two males, 145 ; 

 males mobbing females politely, 

 145 ; males, combats between, 

 145 ; dive as a relaxation, 145 ; 

 choice and dismissal of suitors by 

 female, 146 ; advances of female 

 declined by male, 146 ; female 

 not coy, 146 ; nesting habits of, 



146, 147 ; male sitting inland, 



