272 BIRD BEHAVIOUR 



bends down his head after the fashion of his allies 

 the Gadwall and Teal when executing this gesture. 



But another very striking display of white is 

 that of the Moorhen, which makes a great show of 

 its white under-tail plumage when angry, defiant, 

 or amorous, and the blue Porphyrio of India (Por- 

 fhyiio poliocepbalus) does the same thing. This 

 bird also claps its wings over its back when excited, 

 a gesture also found in the Globose Curassow cock, 

 and as every one knows, in our common Chanticleer ; 

 especially does he do this before crowing, but the 

 Grey Jungle-Fowl (Callus sonnerati) does not, so 

 far as I have seen, and the green Javan Jungle-Fowl 

 (G. varius) claps its wings after crowing, like the 

 Pheasants, which is interesting, as this species is 

 the most Pheasant-like of the Jungle-Fowl. In the 

 Silver Pheasant the crow is suppressed and the 

 wing-flapping becomes a buzz, though to me no 

 sound is audible, but the allied Lineated Kaleege 

 (Gemusus lineatus) is credited with making a noise 

 which suggests an earthquake, and the drumming 

 of the courting Ruffed Grouse of America (Bonasa 

 umbellus) is apparently produced by a similar 

 very rapid agitation of the wings. 



It is in one of the Grouse that courting emotion 

 appears to reach its highest pitch ; in the well- 

 known love-song and display of the Capercaillie 

 the performer gets so excited at the highest pitch 

 of the performance that he gnashes and foams, 

 closes his eyes, and becomes deaf by the swelling 

 of the soft palate, while the tree he is perched on 



