16 BEHAVIOR OF PIGEONS. 



responds in like manner, if disposed to accept his advances. In his bowing the male slightly 

 expands the wings, so that the feathers are arranged to sit to best taste. The tail is held 

 at the usual height and width; but the rump feathers, including the upper tail-coverts, 

 are raised, as they are when the bird is on the ground and bristles up (raises wings, etc.) 

 to threaten an intruder. Then hugging begins, and if the male prevails, as he usually 

 does, he bears down on the back of the neck of the female, moves up sidewise, halts a 

 moment, then mounts neatly with an even hop of both legs. On the female's back he 

 again halts all motion for 3 or 4 seconds, holding his neck very low, just over that of the 

 female; while steadily holding his position he then gives a series of three or four or more 

 guttural chuckles or muffled clucks or notes, beginning very low and rising gradually 

 in each successive note until, with a much louder and explosive final note, he gives the 

 dismounting jump and simultaneously a quick snap-like clash of the wings over the back. 

 As he lands, he lowers his wings to his sides so that the tips touch the floor, and with 

 spread tail also sweeping the floor, he rushes or circles with high-arched neck and wide- 

 open mouth around the female. If the female prevails, as she did twice within a few 

 minutes in the present instance, she goes through the same performance, only with every 

 act reduced in energy and life. The male mounted four times on the particular occasion 

 described here, but without reaching a sexual union in either case. This play is often 

 carried on for rather long periods. 



On the day following the behavior that has just been described I saw the male mount 

 and carry the sexual act to conclusion. When the contact between male and female is 

 effected, the male, unlike most or all other species, does not instantly dismount as contact 

 is ended, but resumes his position on the back of the female, and then begins with the 

 copulation notes previously described, finishing up with the leap, wing-clash, open-beak, 

 strut, etc. This is a most theatrical performance. The male proceeds as if he foresaw 

 and calculated each item with a view to closing the act with a grand climax. He is 

 silent for a moment to make sure his feet are in place; he lowers his head to the front where 

 it is ready for the final jump; he then prepares for a crescendo of chuckles, beginning 

 the series with an inaudible one (seen in movement of throat), then a chuckle that is 

 just barely audible, then one stronger, then another stronger still, and then the grand 

 explosion, in which the chuckle expresses all the vim the bird can master, and which is 

 cut short with an impetuous w-h-e-w, just as he springs with a sudden and loud clash of 

 the wings to the floor, where the orgasm becomes complete, as expressed in pose, dress 

 of feathers, sparkling of eyes, open mouth, and proud parade with trailing wings and tail. 

 The male's recovery of position on the back of female is peculiar to this species, so far as 

 I know. 1 Immediately after this copulation the hugging was renewed, and the male 

 mounted and went through with all the usual performances, except that of contact. Then 

 hugging began again, and the female was mounted with the usual behavior; then the 

 male tried it again, but without contact. 



At a still later date I was able to learn that when the male bronze-wing has mounted 

 he makes the clucks slow and low as he reaches back and moves his tail from side to side 

 until union is made; and that he then recovers his position and begins a "series" of clucks- 

 one inaudible, a second just barely audible, a third a little stronger, a fourth and fifth 

 increasing in force, a sixth and seventh close together, with an explosive seventh as he 

 dismounts. There were seven clucks increasing in force and in rapidity to the last of the 

 series. 



After four unsuccessful cycles a pair (/) of bronze-winged pigeons were separated 

 for 15 days in the hope of inducing regular work. After this period they were 



1 The male of Geopelia humeralis never recovers this position, but slips off the female the moment the union is 

 effected, alighting on the perch, then bristling up and driving the female, as if angry with her. 



