86 BIRD COURTSHIP 



the gayest dress; among the drummers she is 

 doubtless drawn by some quality of the sound. 

 Our ears and eyes are too coarse to note any 

 differences in these things, but doubtless the 

 birds themselves note differences. 



Birds show many more human traits than do 

 quadrupeds. That they actually fall in love 

 admits of no doubt; that there is a period of 

 courtship, during which the male uses all the 

 arts he is capable of to win his mate, is equally 

 certain; that there are jealousies and rivalries, 

 and that the peace of families is often rudely 

 disturbed by outside males or females is a com- 

 mon observation. The females, when they 

 c6me to blows, fight much more spitefully and 

 recklessly than do the males. One species of 

 bird has been known to care for the young of 

 another species which had been made orphans. 

 The male turkey will sometimes cover the eggs 

 of his mate and hatch and rear the brood alone. 

 Altogether, birds often . present some marked 

 resemblances in their actions to men, when love 

 is the moti^'«. 



Mrs. Martin, in her * * Home Life on an Os- 

 trich Farm," relates this curious, incident: — 



"One undutiful hen — having apparently 

 imbibed advanced notions — absolutely refused 

 to sit at all, and the poor husband, determined 

 not to be disappointed of his little family, did 

 all the work himself, sitting bravely and pa- 

 tiently day and night, though nearly dead with 

 exhaustion, till the chicks were hatched out. 

 The next time this pair of birds had a nest the 



