4 
THE ZOoLOGIst—SEPTEMBER, 1876. 5073 
and were manifestly restless and excited—perhaps rejected suitors contem- 
plating something desperate. The music to this eccentric dance was the 
loud ‘ chuck-chuck’ continuously repeated, and the strange throbbing sound 
produced by the vibrating wings. I saw several balls after this, but in 
every one the same series of strange evolutions were carried out.” 
As is well known, our own black-game are given to very similar 
proceedings. The beauty of the scene is still fresh in our memory 
when, one perfect evening in early May, we witnessed certain 
gallant young black-cocks entertaining a select party of gray-hens 
to an exhibition of their dancing powers on the top of Winsford 
Hill, one of the most beautiful peaks of Exmoor. All sportsmen 
know how wary a bird is Master Blackie and difficult to get near 
when the shooting season is well on; but those mentioned above 
were so engaged in their antics that they permitted us to approach 
them within a few feet without taking any notice. Their attitudes 
closely resembled those of the sharptailed grouse deseribed by 
Mr. Lord; there was the same dancing of the birds round and 
round, with their heads close together, like young cockerels com- 
mencing an affuire @honneur ; the same standing near at hand of 
other cock birds, engrossed in seeing that all was done in proper 
style; while above the tufts of heather we could see the heads of 
the belles of the pack, their bright eyes raining influence, no 
doubt, and prepared to award the prize of their devotion to the 
best-approved performer. 
We are fond of reading of that touching tameness which takes 
possession of all wild things when under the power of the parental 
storgé. Dr. Coues has mentioned many instances, some of which 
we have already quoted; here is yet another, relating to the 
whitetailed ptarmigan (Lagopus leucurus) :— 
“While on her nest, the bird is very tame. Once, while walking near 
the summit of the range, I chanced to look down, and saw a ptarmigan in 
the grass, at my very feet; at the next step Ishould have trodden upon her. 
Seeing that she did not appear frightened, I sat down gently, stroked her 
on the back, and finally, putting both hands beneath her, raised her gently 
off the nest and set her down on the grass, while she scolded and pecked 
my hands like a sitting hen; and, on being released, merely flew off a few 
yards and settled on a rock, from which she watched me until I had gone 
away. Late in July I came across a brood of young ones, apparently not 
more than ‘four or five days old. They were striped with broad bands of 
white and blackish brown, and looked precisely like little game chickens. 
