CHAPTER IV 
THE COURTSHIPS OF SOME LABRADOR BIRDS 
“Mille modi veneris.” 
— Ovid. 
Ao the primitive races of mankind 
the male as a rule adorns himself more 
than the female. He it is that rejoices more 
in tattoo markings and paints, in the beauty 
of the dressing of his hair and in adornments by 
bright feathers. The female is modest by com- 
parison and quiet in her savage apparel. Among 
the lower animals this adornment in the male is, 
with a few exceptions, the rule. The stag with 
his great antlers is a striking object beside the 
demure doe. Among the birds the contrast be- 
tween the sexes is still more emphasized, and 
the brilliantly coloured cock often appears to 
belong to a different race from the quietly 
dressed hen. The most striking contrasts are 
to be seen among the famous birds of paradise 
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