SEXUAL SELECTION IN BIRDS. 291 



were subject than acts of intention and meaning. If this be the 

 fighting-place, it might almost as well be called the sleeping- 

 place, the birds doze so persistently on it. Their silence is a 

 very noticeable feature — they utter no note whatever.* They 

 had not, I think, the faintest suspicion of my presence, but first 

 three, then two, and finally the last, went off in the course of an 

 hour. A man, perhaps, who was looking for Peewits' eggs — 

 having bought the right of search during April — may possibly 

 have alarmed them, but this is more or less their natural way of 

 leaving, when not in a flock. All at once one or another of them 

 looks up with a surprised air, half erects himself, extends his 

 wings, and in a moment darts away. 



It was past 7.30 when I left the watch-house, but no Buff had 

 returned. Before coming up, this last time, I had seen them 

 through the glasses from a distance, and noticed that they several 

 times all flew up together, and, after a short flight round in the 

 near proximity of the place, came down on it again. 



April 17th.— Lying down in my harness, like old Bernal 

 Diaz, who could not sleep otherwise, I was up at three, and got 

 to the watch-place a little before four. No Buffs went up as I 

 came, nor did any come till a little before five, when I saw the 

 first three standing there. Then they began to fly in rapidly, 

 one after the other, for the most part, and I counted, sometimes, 

 as many as fourteen. No two of these were alike, and, whilst 

 some were almost fully decorated, others were only just begin- 

 ning to be. These stood, mostly, aside, and were altogether less 

 demonstrative. I noticed more than once that when a com- 

 paratively full-maned one demonstrated at any of these, the 

 latter held up its beak to it in a deprecating way — it had, at 

 least, that appearance — and the other then ceased the assault, 

 and sank quietly down beside it. However, to make the mere 

 show of an assault, and then for both parties, though well- 

 plumed, to act in this way, was a quite general feature. At 

 other times, especially when any Beeve was on the scene, two 

 would rush and leap high into the air against each other, rushing 

 away, and not leaping again, as they came down ; whilst once, at 



* On one occasion only I heard, as I thought, a very low note as this or 

 that bird, or small party of them, went off. This occurred twice or thrice, 

 but I am now very doubtful as to the Ruffs having uttered the sound. 



