Chap. XIII.] LAW OF BATTLE. 43 



Balz, as the love-dance and love-song of the Blackcock is 

 called in Germany. The bird utters almost continuously 

 the most strange noises : " He holds his tail up and spreads 

 it out like a fan, he lifts up his head and neck with all the 

 feathers erect, and stretches his wings from the body. 

 Then he takes a few jumps in different directions, some- 

 times in a circle, and presses the under part of his beak so 

 hard against the ground that the chin-feathers are rubbed 

 off. During these movements he beats his wings and 

 turns round and round. The more ardent he grows the 

 more lively he becomes, vintil at last the bird appears like 

 a frantic creature." At such times the blackcocks are so 

 absorbed that they become almost blind and deaf, but less 

 so than the capercailzie : hence bird after bird may be 

 shot on the same spot, or even caught by the hand. 

 After performing these antics the males begin to fight : 

 and the same blackcock, in order to prove his strength 

 over several antagonists, will visit in the course of one 

 morning several Balz-places, which remain the same dur- 

 ing successive years." 



The peacock with his long train appears more like a 

 dandy than a warrior, but he sometimes engages in fierce 

 contests : the Rev. W. Darwin Fox informs me that two 

 peacocks became so excited while fighting at some little 

 distance from Chester, that they flew over the wliole city, 

 still fighting, until they alighted on the top of St. John's 

 tower. 



The spur, in those gallinaceous birds which are thus 

 provided, is generally single ; but Polyplectron (see Fig. 51, 

 p. 90) has two or more on each leg ; and one of the Blood 

 pheasants {Ithaginis cruentus) has been seen with five 

 spurs. The spurs are generally confined to the male, be- 



•* Brehm, 'Illust. Thierleben,' ISGY, B. iv. s. 351. Some of the fore- 

 going statements are taken from L. Lloyd, 'The Game-Birds of Sweden,' 

 etc., 1867, p. 79. 



