PHEASANTS FOR COVERTS AND AVIARIES. 



tlio magnificence of its plumage, and made a. drawing of it at 

 the time. At my i^eijuest lie kindly favoured me with the 

 Idllowing particidars : — 



" It is with great pleasure that I comply with your 

 re({uest to give you a description of tlie mode of display of 

 the Argus. The male bird commences by running about 

 Very briskly, lieudiiig his neck, and seeming to look at the 

 female ' out oi the corner of his eye ' ; he is evidently at 

 this time in a. very playful mood : ho elevates his wings 

 (while still closed) and shakes them. Smldenly, when close 

 to the female, he thi'o\vs his wings forward, the primaries 

 resting on the ground, the secondaries extending upv/ards, 

 and the tertials having their upper surfaces pressed together. 

 At this time slight rustling sounds are heard, which I 

 have no doubt are produced chiefly by the movements of the 

 side feathers of the tail as they are alternately m<j\'ed 

 outwards and inwards ; the large feathers of the wings are 

 also slightly waved, and moved at regular intervals down- 

 wards towards the female. But the most remarkable cir- 

 rumstance is that the l)ird places his head behind, or under 

 one wing, so that in fnuit there is nothing to intereeiit the 

 view of the oliserver of his plumage. With the head so 

 placed, how is he tc) ooserve his ' ladye love,' wdiich, one 

 would think, he must very strongly desire to do '' ily idea 

 was that, by lowering hi^ head a little, he could peep between 

 ins wings; but j\Ir. A. D. Bartlett has told me that he has 

 seen the head thrust through the wing feathers, and Mr. (_'. 

 I'artlett susjiected this on finding some secondary feathers of 

 a, specimen wdiich he set up disordered at their leases. I have 

 drawn the head in the p(jsition in which it has been placed 

 when I ha^■e seen the biril display, and not as described by 

 Mr. iiartlett, althi.Migh not for one moment doiibtino- the 

 a.ccuraey of such a keen obser\-er, and I am sure I shall be 

 excused for rejireseiiting only what I have seen, especially as 

 that is sufficiently enrions, \Vheu I have noticed the head, 

 it has been placed under the right wing; but I should not 



