INDEX 



339 



304; suggested origin of this 

 habit, 304, 305 ; and future de- 

 velopment of, 305, 306. Habit of 

 plastering of, seldom alluded to, 

 307 ; nest, how differing from 

 that of thrush, 304 ; male does 

 not sing during nest - building, 

 307 ; song of, unjustly rated, 312 



Blackcap, song of, how differing 

 from nightingale's, 312 



Blackcock, readiness to avoid a 

 conflict shown by male, 75 



Brambling, at straw-stack, 199, 

 202 ; beauty of, 202, 203 



Bullfinch, u, bud-eater, 249 ; feeding 

 on elms with blue-tit, 249 ; acro- 

 batism of, 249, 250 ; awkward- 

 ness of, d la Harpagon, 250 ; 

 manner of securing buds, 250 ; 

 attacks blue-tit, 250 ; an example 

 of sexual selection acting in two 

 directions, 318 



Bunting, at straw-stack, 199 



Caress, a. possible origin of the, 

 192 



Carnage, difficulty in conjuring up 

 scenes of, nowadays, 13S 



Chaffinch, combats between the 

 hens whilst collecting materials 

 for the nest, 105. At straw-stacks 

 in winter, 199, 201 ; numbers of, 

 predominate, 208. Pugnacity of, 

 and manner of fighting, 208, 209, 

 210 ; acting like fly-catcher, 247 ; 

 an example of sexual selection 

 acting in two directions, 318 



Chinese, a recipe to dislike killing 

 ofj 336 



Collectors, immense harm done by, 



334 



Coot, diving of, 158, 159; in 

 flocks in winter, 160. Manner 

 of feeding of, 159 ; a better 

 diver than the moor-hen, 160 ; 

 lobes of toes, how possibly ac- 

 quired, 160, 161 



Cormorants {see also Shag), hop in 

 courtship and for convenience, 

 49 ; their power of ejecting ex- 

 crements to distance, 131 ; nest 

 of, 131 ; excelled by shag in 



diving, 153; popular idea of, 

 163 ; evil-looking appearance of, 

 163 ; Longfellow's lines on, 164 ; 

 Milton in connection with, 164, 

 165 ; similarity to shag in habits, 

 etc., 165, 166 

 Creature, when observed varying, 

 dubbed new species or variety, 

 229 

 Cuckoo, must wait a little, 336 

 Curlew, peculiarities of, 139; resehi- 

 blance to ibis, 139 ; an opposite 

 bird, 140 J inconspicuous when 

 on ground, 140 ; conspicuous, by 

 contrast, in flight, 140 ; flight, 

 ordinary and nuptial, of, 141 ; 

 note of, 141, 142 ; its connection 

 with the prophet Jeremiah, 141 



Dabchick, sporting of three to- 

 gether, with suggested explana- 

 tion of, 87, 88, 89 ; probable way 

 of fighting, 88 ; can fly seriously, 

 149 ; his manners of diving, etc., 

 154, 155, 156; and claims to a 

 tail, 156 



Darwin, sexual selection as con- 

 ceived by, 25 J his comment on 

 Bate's account of humming-bird 

 destroyed by spider, 52 ; his 

 theory that birds can admire, 

 255 ; origin of language, his 

 view as to the, 289 



Eider-duck, courting note 01 male, 

 142 ; suggestions, etc. , raised by, 

 142, 143 ; difiicult to locate, 143. 

 The poetry of the family, 143; 

 female pleasing, 144 ; beauty of 

 male, 144. Courting actions of 

 male, 144, 14S ; and of female, 



145. Female active agent in being 

 wooed, 144 ; demonstrations of 

 female between two males, 145 ; 

 males mobbing females politely, 

 14s ; males, combats between, 

 145 ; dive as a relaxation, 145 ; 

 choice and dismissal of suitors by 

 female, 146 ; advances of female 

 declined by male, 146 ; female 

 not coy, 146 ; nesting habits of, 



146, 147 ; male sitting inland, 



