96 
THE NUPTIAL HABITS OF THE BLACKCOCK. 
EDMUND SELOUS. 
In an article contained in the roth section of The British Bird 
Book, lately issued, which deals with the ‘ Grouse Sub-family,’ 
there is no reference to certain facts concerning the nuptial 
habits of the Blackcock, which I have put upon record, although 
these facts quite contradict what is generally stated on the 
subject, which The British Bird Book now repeats. This 
silence, from whatever cause proceeding, is not in the interests 
of truth, and moreover does great wrong to Darwin, whose 
brilliant and most original theory of sexual selection my 
observations most strongly confirm. I should like, therefore, 
to point out that in 1907, in Sweden, and in 1908, in England, 
I watched these birds at their courting-place, from April 12th 
to May 6th, and from May 6th to 16th, respectively, very 
closely and carefully, and noted down, 7m situ, everything 
that took place. The principal facts which my notes bring out 
are the following :— 
(rt) In every case, with one single exception, the cock 
birds courted the hens by a slow, formal, pompous display, 
in which every special point of the plumage was carefully and 
elaborately shown ; a display of which I have never seen any 
account, and which is absolutely different from the supposed 
one of “dancing ’—supposed, I mean, in this connection. 
By this display, alone, the hen, which was obviously conscious 
of its nature and purpose, was won, if at all. She was hard to 
win, and frequently left the ground heart-whole, but whenever 
she did yield, or came near to yielding, it was always in response 
to the courtship, and she then showed unmistakable evidence 
of predilection, and what may well be called fascination. The 
approach of another hen provoked jealous rage on the part of 
her rival, leading either to fierce combats between them, or the 
chasing away of one by the other. In the single exception 
referred to, a male did not court, but perseveringly endeavoured 
to gain his end by force, in which he was uniformly unsuccessful. 
(2) The so-called dancing, or leaping into the air, of the 
cocks, though the general excitement arising from the flying in 
to the courting ground of any hen, would often set it off, was 
never specially addressed to the hen, nor did she show any inter- 
est in it. It was distinct from the courtship, and played no 
part init whatever. Observation went to show that the dancing 
has been developed along different lines, being probably, in 
its origin, a challenge to rival males. The fact of these species 
practising two kinds of antics, or set movements, during the 
nuptial season, distinct from each other, and not used for the 
same purpose, is very interesting, and, from the point of view 
Naturalist, 
