THE WOODG ROUS. 



Attention of the f-males to the cry. 



singular cry he seems entirely deaf, and insensible 

 of every danger: whatever noise may be made 

 near him, or even though fired at, he still uncon- 

 cernedly continues his call. Upon all other oc- 

 casions he is the most timid and watchful bird in 

 nature: but then he seems entirely absorbed by 

 his instincts, and seldom leaves the place where 

 lie first begins to express the excesses of desire. 

 This extraordinary cry, which lie accompanies 

 l)y a clapping or' the wings, is no sooner finished 

 than the females who hear it, reply, approach, 

 and place themselves under the tree, from whence 

 the male descends to them. The number that, on 

 this occasion, resort to his call, is uncertain ; but 

 one male generally suffices for all the females in 

 one part of the forest The female seldom lays 

 more than six or seven eggs, which are white, and 

 marked with yellow, of the size of a common hen's 

 egg : she generally lays them in a dry place, and 

 a mossy ground, and hatches them without the 

 company of the male. When she is obliged, 

 during the time of incubation, to leave her eggs 

 in quest of food, she covers them up so artfully 

 with moss, or dry leave^ that it is extremely dif- 

 ficult to discover them ; and when sitting, though 

 wild and timorous at other times, she will suffer 

 the sportsmen to approach and drag her off 

 her nest. She often keeps to her nest though 

 strangers attempt to drag her away. 



As soon as the young ones are hatched thev 

 run with extreme agility after th.q raotber, some- 



