476 THE DESCENT OF MAN 



birds, they are generally attended by the females," which 

 afterward pair with the victorious combatants. But in some 

 cases the pairing precedes instead of succeeding the combat: 

 thus, according to Audubon," several males of the Vir- 

 ginian goat-sucker {Caprimulgus virginianus) "court, in a 

 highly entertaining manner, the female, and no sooner has 

 she made her choice than her approved gives chase to 

 all intruders, and drives them beyond his dominions." 

 Grenerally the males try to drive away or kill their rivals 

 before they pair. It does not, however, appear that the 

 females invariably prefer the victorious males. I have in- 

 deed been assured by Dr. W. Kovalevsky that the female 

 capercailzie sometimes steals away with a young male who 

 has not dared to enter the arena with the older cocks, in 

 the same manner as occasionally happens with the does 

 of the red deer in Scotland. When two males contend in 

 presence of a single female, the victor, no doubt, commonly 

 gains his desire; but some of these battles are caused by 

 wandering males trying to distract the peace of an already 

 mated pair." 



Even with the most pugnacious species it is probable 

 that the pairing does not depend exclusively on the mere 

 strength and courage of the male ; for such males are gener- 

 ally decorated with various ornaments, which often become 

 more brilliant during the breeding season, and which are 

 sedulously displayed before the females. The males also 

 endeavor to charm or excite their mates by love-notes, 

 songs, and antics; and the courtship is, in many instances, 

 a prolonged affair. Hence it is not probable that the 



*' Richardson on Tetrao umheU^i,s, "Fauna Bor. Amer. : Birds, " 1831, p. 343. 

 L. Lloyd, "Game Birds of Sweden," 1867, pp. 22, IS, on the capercailzie and 

 black-cock. Brehm, however, asserts ("Thierleben," etc., B. iv. s. 352) that ia 

 Germany the gray-hens do not generally attend the Balzen ot the black-cocks, 

 but this is an exception to the common rule; possibly the hens may lie hidden in 

 the surrounding bushes, as is known to be the case with the gray-hens in Scan- 

 dinavia, and with other species in North America. 



" "Ornithological Biography," vol. ii. p. 2'?6. 



" Brehm, "Thierleben," etc., B. iv., 186f, p. 990. Audubon, "Ornith. 

 Biography " vol ii. p. 4921 



