152 THE COURTSHIP OF ANIMALS 



turning on his long axis, as it were, till he gradually dis- 

 plays before his mate the dazzling white sheen of his 

 breast and neck, set off by the rich red chestnut and brown 

 of his face and frills. A moment more and both subside 

 into their normal attitude, shake their heads at one 

 another, and then proceed to feed as if nothing had 

 happened. 



But these quaint antics are only the preliminaries to 

 still stranger. A pair of birds, engaged, apparently, 

 solely in fishing and feeding, will suddenly approach one 

 another and begin head-shaking, each striving to outdo 

 the other. Then the ears, till now erect, are thrust out 

 laterally, and the ruff is still further erected till it forms, 

 with the ears, a common disc. Then the hen dives : 

 immediately after down goes the cock. After some fifteen 

 seconds or so she appears at the surface again, speedily 

 followed by the cock, who breaks out about five-and-twenty 

 yards off. Each crouches low over the water, and each 

 will be seen bearing a tuft of weed in the beak. As each 

 sights the other a tremendous rush is made, as if they 

 intend to charge. But when about a yard apart each 

 springs up and assumes the penguin position, save that 

 the beak, instead of pointing downwards, is now held 

 horizontally and bears its burden of weed. Still approach- 

 ing, they eventually touch one another, treading the 

 water and swaying in a sort of ecstasy, all the while 

 shaking their heads from side to side. Then they 

 gradually settle down into the normal swimming pose, 

 though still keeping up the head-shaking; then this, 

 too, subsides, the weed is dropped, and the performers 

 drift apart and begin feeding. But no actual pairing 

 accompanies these strange performances. This final rite 

 is associated with a quite different ceremonial, and was 



