BOOK X. Li. 101-103 



that wild partridges are promiscuously covered by 

 tame ones, and also new-comers or cocks that have 

 been beaten in a fight. They are also captured 

 owing to the fighting instinct caused by the same 

 lust, as the leader of the whole flock salHes out to 

 battle against the fowler's decoy, and when he has 

 been caught number two advances, and so on one 

 after another in succession. Again about breeding 

 time the hens are caught when they sally out against 

 the fowlers' hen to hustle and drive her away. 

 And in no other creature is concupiscence so active. 

 If the hens stand facing the cocks they become 

 pregnant by the afflatus that passes out from them, 

 while if they open their beaks and put out their tongue 

 at that time they are sexually excited. Even the 

 draught of air froni cocks flying over them, and 

 often merely the sound of a cock crowing, makes them 

 conceive. And even their affection for their brood 

 is so conquered by desire that when a hen is quietly 

 sitting on her eggs in hiding, if she becomes aware 

 of a fowler's decoy hen approaching her cock she 

 chirps him back to her and recalls him and voluntarily 

 offers herself to his desire. Indeed they are subject 

 to such madness that often with a blind swoop they 

 perch on the fowler's head. If he starts to go towards 

 a nest, the mother bird runs forward to his feet, 

 pretending to be tired or lame, and in the middle 

 of a run or a short flight suddenly falls as if with a 

 broken wing or damaged feet, and then runs forward 

 again, continually escaping him just as he is going to 

 catch her and cheating his hope, until she leads him 

 away in a different direction from the nests. On 

 the other hand if the hen thus scared is free and 

 not possessed with motherly anxiety she lies on her 



357 



