28 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXIV. 



gradually moulted. Gates himself gives very conflicting views 

 upon this matter. In 1883 in his "Birds of British Burmah," 

 he says that the train commences to grow in February and is lost 

 again by August; fifteen years later in his "Manual of Game Birds," 

 he says that — 



" the train commences to grow at the autumn moult, and by the end 

 of November attains its greatest development . . . and by the 

 commencement of the rains little of the train remains," 



In N. Cachar the tame birds, which however lived in a practically 

 wild state, hegan to acquire their train in the October moult, but it 

 was not until January or February that the}^ were at their best. 

 The wild cock I shot in May had a gorgeous train which had only 

 just begun to moult, and was very little fraj^-ed or worn. 



The cock birds are extremely pugilistic and fierce, and have been 

 quite frequently known to kill each other in their combats and even 

 to kill hens to whom they had taken a dislike. Their display of 

 spreading train, drooping wings and strutting walk is similar to 

 that of the Indian Peafowl, and like that of that bird is used as a 

 means of intimidation as well as of incitement of the hen bird. 



Mr. Gairdner in the article I have already quoted records how 

 some tame chicks of his acted : — 



" It was amusing to watch chicks of three weeks' old erecting stumpy 

 tails and lowering wings to intimidate a young Macaque, or a ground 

 lizard ; or, when a little older, trying to frighten a woodpecker which 

 had excited their wrath by tapping on dry bamboo poles. " 



Finn mentions the same fact, and notes that he has seen Peafowl 

 "showing off" prior to attacking a pheasant, and in order to 

 frighten a crow. 



It would appear, though this is not j^et accepted as proved, that 

 in birds the attitudes assumed by them which are generally known 

 as "showing ofi"" are mereljr the displaj^ of uncontrollable emotion, 

 and may be — indeed often are — caused as much hj such 

 emotions as sudden fear, intense anger, etc., as by the anxiety to 

 attract the female. 



{To he contimied.) 



