20 SEX-LORE 



excitement of courtship this tube becomes inflated 

 from within and then stands erect ; when not inflated 

 it hangs down limply. 



The most glorious ornamentations are to be found 

 among the Birds of Paradise, which well deserve 

 their name. The plumage of the males takes the 

 form of most wonderfully coloured appendages, often 

 of such a size as seriously to hinder the birds in their 

 movements. The illustration (Fig. 12) shows the 

 great variety of adornments. What a pity it is that 

 some women are still so primitive as to deck them- 

 selves in " borrowed feathers," which have to be 

 torn from these beautiful birds while they are alive ! 

 Perhaps the day is not so far distant when women 

 will be civilized enough not to be eager to emulate 

 the fashions of savages. 



There are male birds of other species that have 

 no conspicuous or brilliant sex ornamentation; but, 

 like some of the birds blessed with a finer appearance, 

 they are in the habit of performing love antics and 

 fantastic dances during courtship. Thus, for in- 

 stance, the Blackcock goes through a strange dance, 

 uttering almost continuously loud and piercing noises. 

 " He holds his tail up and spreads it out like a fan, 

 he lifts up his head and neck with all the feathers 

 erect, and stretches his wings from his body. Then 

 he takes a few jumps in different directions, some- 

 times in a circle, and presses the underpart of his 

 beak so hard against the ground that the chin feathers 

 are rubbed off. During the movements he beats his 

 wings and turns round and round. The more ardent 

 he grows, the more lively he becomes, until at last 

 the bird appears like a frantic creature. At such 



