HOW BIRDS MAKE LOVE 



845 



To come to a more familiar bird, namely, 

 the Snipe, everyone with the least taste 

 for the study of birds and country sights 

 and sounds must be famihar with what 

 is universally known as the " drumming " 

 of the Snipe during the breeding season. 

 This peculiar nt)ise made by the bird was 

 for a long time considered to be produced 

 by the mouth, but it has now been de- 

 finitely proved that the bird, soaring to a 

 considerable height, and then dropping 



From this singular appendage the bird 

 takes its name. The males contend for 

 the females as in the case of other poly- 

 gamous birds, and in the spring they 

 " hill," as it is called ; that is, they gather 

 together on a bit of rising ground close to 

 where the Reeves, as the females are called, 

 propose to deposit their eggs. There 

 they take their stand at a small distance 

 from each other and contend for the 

 females, their actions in fighting being 



lEASANTS VERSED IN THE AIM 



£TRY. 



suddenly with great velocity, with a 

 tremulous movement of its wings, 

 accompanied by the outspreading of the 

 stiff tail feathers, produces the pecuhar 

 sound which is variously known as 

 " drumming " or " bleating." This per- 

 formance on the part of the bird is con- 

 sidered to be largely to attract the notice 

 of the female, and as a kind of show-off 

 before her. This ' ' drumming ' ' is continued 

 also during the whole of the time that 

 the female is sitting on the eggs. 



Another instance may be taken in the 

 case of the Ruff, a bird which at one time 

 bred commonly in the Fens and other 

 suitable locahties throughout the country, 

 but which now, save in very exce]:)tional 

 cases, may be considered as only a passing 

 visitor to this country. The males have 

 a regular thick ruff on the neck and sides 

 of the head during the breeding season, 

 which they can erect and frill out at will. 



very similar to those of a game-cock. 

 The head is lowered and the beak held in 

 a horizontal direction ; the ruff, and indeed 

 every feather, more or less distended, 

 the former sweeping the ground as a 

 shield to defend the more tender parts; 

 the auricles are erected, the tail is ]iartly 

 spread, and upon the whole the birds 

 assume a most ferocious aspect. As in the 

 case of many other birds that go through 

 these duels in front of their future mates, 

 they frequently catch hold of each other 

 by the bill, and although they strike with 

 their wings and legs, they seldom do one 

 another much harm. 



In the case of the smaller birds, such 

 as the Warblers, Finches, etc., which are 

 not polygamous but pair for one season, 

 at any rate, and in some instances for 

 longer, the same kind of performance is 

 gone through. 



OXLEY GrABHAM. 



