CHAPTER IX 



THE COURTSHIP AND DANCING OF BIRDS 



The Courting of the male Red-necked Phalarope by the female. 



Superiority of the Female — Hemipodes— Painted Snipes— Phalaropes 

 — Dancing of the Black Grouse — The " Spel " of the Capercailie 

 — The " showing-off " of the Great Bustard — The Bustard's pouch 

 — The Ruffs display — The Crane's performance — The Rook in 

 love — The dance of the Jacana — The "Bailador" in "song and 

 dance." 



It cannot be denied that, in the majority of the species 

 of birds, the reverse of what we know to be the case 

 with human beings is an evident fact, and the males are 

 by far the handsomer birds. Nevertheless, in a few 

 instances, the hen-bird is the best looking of the two. In 



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