286 THE PLAY OF ANIMALS. 



The female kingfisher often torments her devoted 

 lover for half a day, coming and calling him, and then 

 taking to flight. But she never lets him out of her sight 

 the while, looking back as she flies and measuring her 

 speed, and wheeling back when he suddenly gives up the 

 pursuit. The bower bird leads her mate a chase up and 

 down their skilfully built pleasure house, and many 

 other birds behave in a similar way. The male must 

 exercise all the arts that have been described in these 

 pages and more before her reluctance is overcome. She 

 leads him on from limb to limb, from tree to tree, con- 

 stantly eluding his eager pursuit until it seems that the 

 tantalizing change from allurement to resistance must 

 include an element of a mischievous playfulness. 



