264 BEACH GRASS 



head and with still more elaboration swing or 

 sway its whole body or jump up and down. The 

 blue-headed vireo, for example, bobs and bows in 

 addition to puffing out its yellow flanks, the cow- 

 bird, besides puffing and spreading, bobs its head 

 and swings its whole body, as if it were falling 

 forward, the bluebird in the excitement of court- 

 ship jumps up and down on its perch and the 

 flicker and bobs and curtesies in true cakewalk 

 fashion. 



That the dance does not necessarily mean leg 

 movements is exemplified not only by birds but 

 by various primitive human races, where postur- 

 ing and movements of the head, arms and trunk 

 may constitute a large part of the performance. 

 Among the ducks the movements of the head and 

 neck are sometimes very striking and bizarre. 

 The golden-eye, besides performing with its feet 

 in the way already described, has a remarkable 

 head and neck dance and posturing in the court- 

 ship. The drake extends its head and neck 

 straight forward like a bowsprit, then vertically 

 upwards, then backwards so that the occiput rests 

 on the rump, and lastly forward to the normal 



