60 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



OBSERVATIONS TENDING to THEOW LIGHT on the 

 QUESTION of SEXUAL SELECTION in BIRDS, IN- 

 CLUDING a DAY-TO-DAY DIARY on the BREEDING 

 HABITS of the RUFF {MACHETES PUG N AX). 



By Edmund Selous. 



(Continued from vol. x. p. 428.) 



April 23rd, 1906 (cont.). — 1.15 p.m. The brown bird and 

 one other — a recognized habitue — is now back. The latter soon 

 goes, but the brown bird stays on alone, and has now been here 

 twenty-five minutes. Shortly afterwards he leaves too. 



It is curious that with all the excitement — especially in the 

 last instance — which the presence of the Reeve has caused, 

 though there has been some desultory sparring, yet no prolonged 

 or embittered duel has taken place in it. I cannot, from my own 

 observation, thus far, say that she is the teterrima causa belli, 

 though she certainly has been of general commotion. 



Looking out, again, at 2.30, I see the brown bird, alone, on 

 the meeting-ground. At 2.50 the other habitue, mentioned 

 before, is back, these two being the only ones, till 3, when 

 another, which I also recognize, flies in. 



The brown bird, now, on the arrival of two or three other 

 ones, not only flaps his wings, stretching up on tip-toe, as 

 they circle round, but at last rises and hangs hovering in the 

 air for a little. 



3.45. — There are now some six or seven birds, when a Reeve 

 arrives. All but one sink, forthwith, upon the ground, and 

 remain there prostrate, whilst she stands in about the centre of 

 them quietly preening herself. The one Ruff who does not 

 prostrate himself, but stands indifferent, has his feathers hardly 

 at all grown. Amongst the others, after a time, there is a little 

 bustle about, and then another, but with no real fighting. After 

 each they sink down again, but seem now to be pretty much at 



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