256 The Argus Pheasant. 



very briskly, bending his neck, and seeming to look at the 

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

 time in a very playful mood : he elevates his wings (while 

 still closed) and shakes them. Suddenly, when close to the 

 female, he throws his wings forward, the primaries resting 

 on the ground, the secondaries extending upwards, and the 

 tertials having their upper surfaces pressed together. At 

 this time slight rusthng 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 moved outwards 

 and inwards ; the large feathers of the wings are also slightly 

 waved, and moved at regular intervals downwards towards 

 the female. But the most remarkable circumstance is that the 

 bird places his head behind, or under one wing, so that in front 

 there is nothing to intercept the view of the observer of his 

 plumage. With the head so placed, how is he to observe his 

 ' ladye love,' which, one would think, he must very strongly 

 desire to do ? My idea was that, by lowering his head a httle, 

 he could peep between his wings ; but Mr. A. D. Bartlett has 

 told me that he has seen the head thrust through the wing 

 feathers, and Mr. C. Bartlett suspected this on finding some 

 secondary feathers of a specimen which he set up disordered 

 at their bases. I have drawn the head in the position in which 

 it has been placed when I have seen the bird display, and not 

 as described by Mr. Bartlett, although not for one moment 

 doubting the accuracy of such a keen observer, and I am sure 

 I shall be excused for representing only what I have seen, 

 especially as that is sufficiently curious. When I have noticed 

 the head, it has been placed under the right wing ; but I should 

 not think this is invariably the case. You are aware that 

 I have previously called attention to the very artistic shading 

 of the large round spots on the secondaries, and my opinion 

 that the bird during display would so place his wings that all 

 the lights on these spots would be upwards or towards the 

 source of light, and the shades downwards, has been confirmed 

 by observation of the living bird." 



