OCTOBER. 



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common creeper, and the chickadee, all of which remain 

 here daring winter, and hunt the hark of trees for their sus- 

 tenance, are speckled with gray and white, to assimilate them 

 in color to the winter coverings of the leafless trees of the 

 forest. 



There is one numerous tribe of birds that run upon the 

 ground, whose males, with the exception of a few species, 

 are very brilliantly decorated. This is the gallinaceous tribe, 

 which may be considered an exception to the principle I am 

 laboring to establish. It is remarkable with respect to this 

 tribe of birds, that it is only the larger species, such as the 

 pheasant, the turkey, the curassow, the peacock, and the 

 common fowl, whose males are thus gorgeously arrayed. 

 Their colors are evidently intended for their protection in 

 another way. All the males of these species are endowed 

 with a propensity to ruffle and expand their feathers, when- 

 ever they are threatened with attack. The boldest animal 

 would be frightened by the sudden expansion of the brilliant 

 plumage of the peacock, when he places himself in this pe- 

 culiar attitude. A gorgeous spectacle suddenly presented, 

 and so different from anything else that is commonly seen, 

 would overawe even the king of beasts. Similar effects in a 

 weaker degree would be produced by the ruffled plumage of 

 the tarkey or the pheasant. It is worthy of remark, that in 

 proportion to the brilliancy of the colors is the strength of the 

 impression made upon the sight of the creature that designs 

 them ail. injury. The susceptibility of wild animals to be 

 frightened by such causes is shown by the terror produced in 

 them by the sudden opening of an umbrella. But these 

 brilliant plumes are confined to the larger species of the tribe. 

 The quails, partridges and grouse are generally of the color 

 of the ground, being of a speckled and brownish hue, and 

 are distinguished with difficulty when sitting or standing 

 among the berry bushes, or gleaning their repast in the corn- 

 field. Being too small to defend themselves so well as the 

 larger species, their colors are adapted to protect them by 

 concealment, and not by dazzling and alarming their foes. 



But it may be asked why the females of the gaudily 



