172 A HISTORY OF BIRDS 



more or less erected, and crop puffed out. She then stops and 

 faces him, and commences ' booming ' or ' cooing ' to him . . . 

 the while stamping and scratching on the ground with her feet. 

 The male meanwhile answers her with low crooning notes. 



" At this time the female would very frequently pick up a 

 dainty morsel, such as a grub or grain of seed, and holding it 

 at the tip of her bill, would call her mate and present it to him." 



So soon as all the eggs were laid the cock commenced to 

 sit, and the hen took no more notice of him, but commenced to 

 boom as if to call another, mate. 



The Tinamous, similarly, have been kept in confinement, 

 and from this it has been found that the female, after laying 

 clutches for two different cocks to brood, seeks yet a third 

 husband, and in a wild state probably more. 



Of Wilson's Phalarope, an American writer, Dr. D. G. Elliott, 

 remarks : " The female is the larger and altogether the hand- 

 somer bird, the male having very little of the brilliant tints 

 which render his mate so attractive when arrayed in her full 

 summer dress. Upon him too devolves the duty of incubation, 

 . . . the female amusing herself upon or near the water. Like 

 the other species of Phalarope, she makes all the advances at 

 pairing season, and sometimes more than one female fixes her 

 attention on the same male, who thereupon has but little peace, 

 as he is pursued from place to place by rival suitors." From 

 the nature of the case there would seem to be some error of 

 interpretation here, since rival females would almost certainly 

 fight. Instead, the choice, according to this author, seems to 

 be left to the male. If he pairs with both hens it is obvious 

 that one clutch of eggs at least would be wasted. 



