98 



HABITS OF BIRDS. 



[Tetrao Obscurus.j 



a thrashing-floor, giving evidence of the strife which 

 had ensued among* the contending rivals. 



From their resemblance to the herons, we might 

 suppose the bitterns would pair like them ; though 

 they are, on the contrary, not only polygamous, but, 

 if we may believe some authors, the males evince 

 extremely little attachment to the females, less, in- 

 deed, than is recorded of any other bird. Salerne, 

 however, must surely be mistaken when he says the 

 females have to court the attention of the male by 

 bringing him food, since this is contrary to the whole 

 economy of birds, and would require the most un- 

 equivocal testimony to render it credible. The anti- 

 pathy exhibited by a male and a female, when put 

 together, by way of experiment, by M. Hebert, 



