178 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



pair, and he was expelled in the same way, and for the same 

 purpose, by the blue one also, who pulled him up by the scruff 

 of his neck with his beak, and sent him packing. It was when 

 again in the brown Buff's territory that one of the latter's Beeves 

 pecked at him, as I now think, to have him out of the way. He 

 was, however, unmistakably invited by another Beeve (not the 

 first whose repeated caress I have recorded), though, instead of 

 answering her expectations, he lost himself in a prostration. So 

 implanted, indeed, is this habit that often a Buff, instead of 

 pairing, when, as in the above instance, he has every incentive 

 to do so, sinks down in this way at the side of his mistress, and 

 goes no farther. Yet on another occasion this same bird 

 attempted, but unsuccessfully, to pair with a Beeve by force. He 

 appeared to me to be somewhat stupid or half-witted, and I was 

 struck with the fact that, although expelled on several occasions, 

 in the manner I have mentioned, yet, as a rule, the Buffs received 

 him kindly. The brown one, for instance, would let him sit 

 beside himself or just fronting him, and so would others. Yet, 

 as I have said, encroachments of this sort are one of the 

 main causes of fighting. They must have made, then, a 

 difference in his case, either because he was a young bird, 

 or that they recognized some mental deficiency— some want, 

 that is to say — in him. Let that be the interpretation for the 

 present.* 



Nothing special to note this afternoon. The only pairings 

 which I saw take place were with the brown Buff, and not more 

 than three in number. They may not have been with more than 

 one Beeve. Four, however, if not five, pressed about him, and 

 appeared anxious for his ministrations, so that I feel sure, 

 myself, that his harem includes these. That it includes three, I 

 believe I have made out, for I have seen him pair with two, and, 

 at another time, with a Beeve that had something salient about 

 her appearance, and was, I am sure, neither of these. Neither 

 is she the vicious Beeve (also peculiar-looking, and larger than 

 any of the others, except a nondescript bird more like a male 

 with female plumage, which I cannot make out), who has paired 

 only, as far as I have seen, with the blue Buff. He, however, 

 pairs with at least one other, making two the bare minimum 



* See continuation. 



