436 The Outline of Science 



The Bower-birds of Australasia 



Examples could be multiplied almost indefinitely, but we 

 must here confine ourselves to one other case which has a novel 

 feature of its own. The different species of Bower-birds found 

 in Australasia build various types of "bowers" which serve as 

 playgrounds in which the cocks court their mates. These 

 "bowers" are often large and complex structures of twigs or 

 flower-stems and are decorated with collections of blossoms, shells, 

 or brightly coloured berries. One species builds a little cabin, 

 some two feet high and three feet in diameter, at the foot of a 

 tree and with a wide mossy "lawn" in front, while another makes 

 a tunnel several feet long and completely roofed over with twigs. 

 These bowers form the birds' courting grounds and are quite dis- 

 tinct from the nests, which are built in trees at a later stage. 



Fighting with rivals plays a part of varying magnitude in 

 the loves of different birds. Some species are well known for 

 their pugnacity, the familiar Robin for instance; and in cock- 

 fighting this has been turned to account as a source of human 

 entertainment. In the domestic cock and in pheasants the de- 

 velopment of spurs as weapons of offence is well known, and in 

 some kinds of birds there are several pairs. Other birds fight 

 with their wings, and lapwings may be seen buffeting each other 

 in mid-air; an Egyptian relative of the Lapwing, the Spur- 

 winged Plover, has a weapon on its wings which is said to make 

 a fatal result no uncommon occurrence. The Ruff, a kind of 

 sandpiper now numbered among the rarer English birds, has a 

 frill of feathers round the neck, which is a shield of defence as 

 well as an ornament for display in the regular tournaments 

 which are held; the females, called reeves, lack the distinctive 

 adornment. 



Voice 



The seat of the voice in mammals is in the larynx, at the 

 top of the windpipe. In birds, however, the vocal cords are at 



