COURTSHIP AMONG ANIMALS 17 



when he courts the female. He then erects his tail 

 and opens his wing feathers, thus forming a great 

 upright circular fan, which is carried in front of the 

 body and conceals the head. In order to discover 

 whether the female is giving him the attention he 

 deserves, he constantly thrusts his head through this 

 screen, so that many of the feathers get much worn. 

 In the breeding season the male removes all dead 

 leaves from a space in the forest some six or eight 

 yards square, which he keeps very clean. This he 

 never leaves, but at frequent intervals he utters a loud 

 " How-how-how-how-how !" to inform the females of 

 his whereabouts. As soon as one of them approaches, 

 he exhibits his finery over and over again for her 

 admiration. 



Less showy, but not less significant, is the display 

 of the male turkey and of the common farmyard 

 cock, which most of us have seen. The former struts 

 about the yard with a mincing gait, his tail being 

 raised to form a half-circle, while the back feathers 

 are set all on end and the wings trail along the ground. 

 The bare skin of head and neck become suffused 

 with blood, and a long fleshy wattle that hangs 

 from the forehead becomes inflated. Great show is 

 made of this, and the effect is heightened by a 

 " Gobble-gobble !" quickly repeated. The same 

 strutting about and parading before the hens is 

 noticeable in the ordinary cock, who, though he has 

 relatively little to boast of, makes up with impu- 

 dence and conceit for what he lacks in beauty. 



Though the male attire of the turkey and the cock 

 is permanent, there are other birds, such as ruffs, 

 herons, egrets, etc., which change their dress especially 



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