Birds' Courtship and Marriage 205 



between each bill and coo. If the little god of 

 love who presides over human courtship and mar- 

 riage, also, follows the courtship of a Woodcock 

 that may explain why we see him pictured with so 

 few clothes stripped for a race. An old sailor 

 here in Biloxi when asked if he knew what caused 

 the tide, admitted that he did, and proceeded to 

 explain it: "You know," said he, "when a feller 

 turns over in bed he gets there quite a bit ahead 

 of the covers that come a-rolling and a-swashing 

 along after him, and when the world turns over 

 in the ocean, the waves come a-rolling and a-swash- 

 ing along some ways behind. You can explain 

 everything if you are careful to study out the 

 reasons." He is not here now and it has always 

 been a matter of regret that I never asked him to 

 elucidate the seeming mystery of the Woodcock's 

 courtship. 



Male birds are the greatest lovers in the world, 

 always excepting Wilson's Phalarope. Though 

 he belongs to Mr. Wilson, I greatly suspect him 

 of being secretly opposed to the League of Na- 

 tions, for he is publicly opposed to the holy bonds 

 of matrimony, and is on the wrong side of most 

 things miserable little no-account snipe. He is 

 no Lord of creation. Good Lord! his wife has 

 to do all the courting and threaten him with a 

 breach of promise case before she can force him 

 to marry her and he just hates her because she is 



