ON SEXUAL SELECTION IN BIRDS. 409 



out his tail, and slowly waves it from side to side. The Lesser 

 Whitethroat (Sylvia curruea) acts in much the same manner as 

 the Chiffchaff; the tail is spread out and slowly waved from side 

 to side ; the tail, however, in this case is, when spread out, very 

 beautiful. 



The Grasshopper-Warbler (Locustella ncsvia) always interested 

 me, as the male always appears to take more care than the males 

 of other species in the display of his plumage. The female 

 walks on the ground ; the male follows, spreading out his wings 

 and tail to the full, raising the feathers on his head and back, 

 and throwing them out on his breast, meanwhile flapping his 

 wings slowly up and down, and when in this position he fre- 

 quently walks along the lowest branches of some small bush. In 

 order to appreciate the effect the display must be seen. The 

 male Stonechat (Pratincola rubicola), perched on the top of a 

 whin-bush, jerks his tail almost at right angles to the body, drops 

 his wings in order to show the conspicuous white wing-coverts, 

 and sings vigorously, at times mimicking other birds. The 

 Greenfinch turns from side to side on a branch with wings and 

 tail outspread. The Sky-Lark raises his tail, and bows to the 

 female, the feathers on the body being thrown out in the same 

 manner as those mentioned previously. The Lesser Spotted 

 Woodpeckers (Dendrocopus minor) at this period make a great 

 commotion, and their display is very pretty. They spread their 

 wings out to the full extent, and slowly flap through the air ; 

 this, I have little doubt, is only part of the display, but the 

 Woodpeckers are a difficult class of birds to watch when courting. 

 The male Blue Tit performs in the same way, extending his 

 wings and slowly flapping about. It is interesting to notice that 

 in these last two cases, in which the display is to some extent 

 different, the wings, when fully extended, are very beautiful, and 

 would make rather an imposing spectacle. Whether the males 

 in these cases are conscious of the beauty of their wings forms 

 the subject of this article. These two cases seem to point to 

 some such conclusion as being probable ; yet, in the case of the 

 Grasshopper- Warbler previously cited, the wings are spread out, 

 although there are no special markings to be shown to advantage. 

 The rapid descent of the Snipe, which through specially formed 

 feathers in the tail causes a peculiar vibrating sound, the soaring 



