HOW BIRDS MAKE LOVE 



843 



him and they have satisfied themselves. 

 Again, he will frequently, by scratching 

 away the earth with his feet, pick out 

 certain portions that are apt to be over- 

 looked, and place them before the favoured 

 members of his harem. 



The antics and evolutions which are 

 gone through by some birds in order to 

 show themselves off, as they evidently 

 imagine, to their fullest advantage, and 

 to attract the notice of their consorts. 



observing them, that I may be pardoned 

 if I quote his description : " The cock 

 bird stations himself on a pine tree and 

 commences his love song to attract the 

 hens about him. This is usually from 

 the first dawn of day to sunrise, or from 

 a little after sunset until it is quite dark. 

 The time, however, more or less depends 

 upon the mildness of the weather and 

 the advanced state of the season. During 

 his play, the neck of the Capercailzie is 



THE GREAT WHITE HERON SHOWING BREEDING PLUMES. 



are very amusing to watch, and are often 

 ludicrous in the extreme. The behaviour 

 of pigeons in this respect will be familiar 

 to everyone. They strut about in the 

 most absurd manner before and around 

 the object of their affections, continually 

 bowing down to the ground and then 

 stretching themselves to their full height, 

 spreading out their wings and trailing 

 them on the ground, expanding their 

 tails, puffing out their breasts and 

 throats, and showing off their plumage 

 in the bright sunshine to the best effect 

 possible. The actions of the Caper- 

 cailzie, the largest of our game birds, 

 during the spring of the year, often wlien 

 the ground is still deeply covered with 

 snow, are well known to naturalists and 

 sportsmen, and have been so well described 

 by Mr. Lloyd, who spent many years in 

 Sweden, and had ample opportunities of 



stretched out, his tail is raised and spread 

 out like a fan, his wings droop, his feathers 

 are ruffled up, and in short he resembles 

 very much in appearance an angry turkey- 

 cock. He begins his play with a call 

 something resembling the word pdler- 

 peller-pcller ; these sounds he repeats, 

 at first at some little intervals ; but as 

 he proceeds they increase in rapidity, 

 until at last, and after a lapse of a minute 

 or so, he makes a sort of gulp in his throat, 

 and finishes by drawing in his breath. 

 During the continuance of this latter 

 process, which only lasts a few seconds, 

 the head of the Capercailzie is thrown 

 up. his eyes are partially closed, and his 

 wiiole appearance would denote that he 

 is worked up into an agony of passion. 

 On hearing tlie call of the cock, the hens, 

 whose cry in some degree resembles the 

 croak of the Raven, assemble from all 



