Fl or icans. 421 



the morning and is then easily raised, but 

 during the heat of the day it lies very 

 close and is often flushed with difficulty. 

 I have known an instance of one being 

 killed by a horse stepping on it. ... I 

 have found the cock bird commencing to 

 assume the black plumage at the end of 

 April, and have killed them with the black 

 ear-tuft just beginning to sprout, hardly 

 any other black feathers having appeared. 

 In other instances I have noticed that 

 these ear-tufts did not make their appear- 

 ance till the bird was quite mottled with 

 black. The full and perfect breeding 

 plumage is generally completed during 

 July and August. At this season the male 

 bird generally takes up a position on some 

 rising ground, from which it wanders but 

 little, for many days even ; and during the 

 morning especially, but in cloudy weather 

 at all times of the day, every now and then 

 rises a few feet perpendicularly into the 

 air, uttering at the same time a peculiar 

 low croaking call, more like that of a frog 

 or cricket than that of a bird, and then 

 drops down again. This is probably in- 

 tended to attract the females, who, before 

 their eggs are laid, wander greatly ; or per- 

 haps to summon a rival cock, for I have 

 seen two in such desperate fight as to allow 



