460 



THE DESCENT OF MAN. 



Length of Courtship. The lengthened period during 

 which' both' sexes of certain birds meet day after day at an 

 appointed place probably depends partly on the courtship 

 being a prolonged affair, and partly on reiteration in the 

 act of pairing. Thus in Germany and Scandinavia the 

 balzing or leks of the black-cocks last from the middle of 

 March all through April into May. As many as forty or 

 fifty or even more birds congregate at the leks; and the 

 same place is often frequented during successive years. The 

 lek of the capercailzie lasts from the end of March to the 

 middle or even end of May. In North America ' ' the 

 partridge dances" of the Tetrao phasianettus "last for a 

 month or more." Other kinds of grouse, both in North 

 America and Eastern Siberia,* follow nearly the same 

 habits. The fowlers discover the hillocks where the ruffs 

 congregate by the grass being trampled bare, and this shows 

 that the same spot is long frequented. The Indians of 

 Guiana are well acquainted with the cleared arenas, where 

 they expect to find the beautiful cocks of the rock; and 

 the natives of New Guinea know the trees where from ten 

 to twenty male birds of paradise in full plumage congre- 

 gate. In this latter case it is not expressly stated that the 

 females meet on the same trees, but the hunters, if not 

 specially asked, would probably not mention their presence, 

 as their skins are valueless. Small parties of an African 

 weaver (Ploceus) congregate, during the breeding-season, 

 and perform for hours their graceful evolutions. Large 

 numbers of the solitary snipe (Scolopax major) assemble 

 during dusk in a morass; and the same place is frequented 

 for the same purpose during successive years; here they 

 may be seen running about "like so many large rats," 

 puffing out their feathers, flapping their wings, and 

 uttering the strangest cries, f 



*Nordman describes ("Bull. Soc. Imp. des Nat. Moscou," 1861, 

 torn, xxxiv, p. 264) the balzen of Tetrao urogalloides in Amur Land. 

 He estimated the number of birds assembled at above a hundred, not 

 counting the females, which lie hid in the surrounding bushes. The 

 noises uttered differ from those of T urogallus. 



\ With respect to the assemblages of the above-named grouse, see 

 Brehm, " Thierleben," B. iv, s. 350; also L. Lloyd, "Game Birds of 

 Sweden," 1867. pp. 19, 78. Richardson, " Fauna Bor. Americana.: 

 Birds," p. 362. References hi regard to the assemblages of other 

 birds have, already been given. On Paradisea, see Wallace, in 

 "Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist.," vol. xx, 1857, p. 412. On the snipe, 

 Lloyd, ibid, p. 221. 



