LAPWINGS IN THE PAIRING SEASON. 301 



the female make no sign, and many days may elapse before she 

 does so, the male finally leaves his scrape, and, stepping forward 

 a little, renews his stubble-plucking, throwing them over his 

 shoulder as before. He may then return to the scrape, or 

 perhaps to another one, and repeat the performance, but he 

 rarely again approaches the female at that period. Tiring at 

 length of his prospective mate's unresponsiveness, he seeks 

 outlet for his energy in song-flight, or in aerial encounters with 

 another male. A slight variation of the courtship is when he 

 approaches the female on the wing. In such a case, on settling 

 close beside her, he momentarily takes up a very erect attitude, 

 towering over the other bird, his breast-feathers puffed out to 

 their fullest extent, and the long crest inclined forward. From 

 this position he passes to the usual procedure. The female 

 usually receives the advances of the male with seeming indiffer- 

 ence, but at times indicates annoyance or distaste by a rapid re- 

 treat, even taking wing and passing to a distant part of the field. 



Females occasionally evince considerable jealousy of each 

 other, indicated in a manner similar to the males. On such 

 occasions the two rival birds, settled near each other, sway their 

 tails up and down rhythmically, and scrape slightly, plucking a 

 little at straws. Ultimately one may rush at the other, and a 

 short bout of brisk sparring ensues. Several times I have been 

 considerably interested to observe such encounters between two 

 females ended by a male bird rushing up and separating the 

 combatants, and, not content with terminating the strife, he 

 attacks one of the females, driving it to some distance, a mode 

 of behaviour only witnessed under similar circumstances. On 

 one occasion a male, which was courting a female bird, suddenly 

 desisted to attack and pursue a second female at a little distance. 

 The common aerial encounters and more strenuous ground 

 struggles of the males are, however, not to be seen in the 

 other sex. 



About a fortnight after the commencement of courting and 

 scrape-forming on the part of the males, and some three weeks 

 before laying begins, the females at length begin to show some 

 response to the hitherto ignored advances of the males, and 

 what may be regarded as a sign on their part of acceptance of a 

 mate is indicated in the following manner : On a male having 



