ON THE STAMPING-GROUND 63 



though to peck each other. Then of a sudden 

 they would spring up, and thrusting their heads 

 down and their tails up, would whir with droop- 

 ing wings, and as they whirred, spin around in 

 mincing circles. 



Often either of the birds would break away and 

 take a spin across the knoll to bow and whir to 

 some other bird; but always in a moment he 

 would return to his own partner and his allotted 

 portion of the stamping-ground. 



That each two kept to a certain section of the 

 hall was assured; for I could distinguish one or 

 two of the birds, and always noted them on the 

 same spot. This was particularly noticeable of 

 one threadbare, dilapidated old chap, with a 

 bright yellow eyebrow and a mighty " Poom! " 

 who always stamped on a small plot a few feet 

 from my shelter. After each spasm, when the 

 couples were seated tete-a-tete, they emitted a 

 variety of half -suppressed, whining calls that are 

 never heard elsewhere; and it is safe to say that 

 no one who has not spent a morning or two on a 

 stamping-ground knows more than half of a 

 sharp-tail's vocabulary. 



The fun had reached its frenzy pitch when 

 suddenly I noted that something other than 



