28o 



The Bird 



feather shield of his opponent. But the force of the 

 blow would s])en(l itself on the inch of space between the 

 shield and the feathers of the bird's l^reast. When, in 

 his native haunts, the Ruff has conquered his rival, his 

 triumphant dances i:>efore the female are most elaborate. 

 While these facts are not exactly pertinent to the physical 



Fig 224. — Breast ornament of a Wild Turkevcock. 



life of the bird, yet I mention them to show to what prac- 

 tical, as well as aesthetic, uses the development of some 

 portion of the bird's plumage may be devoted. 



What a contrast to the cloak of the Ruff is the pectoral 

 decoration of the AMld Turkeycock: a great tuft of 

 coarse, black hair-like feathers, like the tail of a horse 



