166 



THE AMERICAN NTURALIST 



[Vol. XLI 



plovers, the turnstones, the surf birds, the snipes, the phalaropes, 

 the avocets, and the ja9anas, the entire host being monogamous 

 by habit, with but one famous exception, namely, the truly polyg- 

 amous ruff (Machetes pugnax). The peculiar habits of courtship 

 and breeding practiced by this species have been well-described 

 by a number of continental naturalists/ Among the Limicolse 

 there "appears to be, among existing birds, but one other species 

 suspected of being a polygamist, and this is the double or solitary 

 snipe (Scolopax major) of Europe. Newton does not mention the 

 fact in the "Dictionary," but Darwin remarks in "The Descent 

 of Man," that "some of the above birds, — the black-cock, caper- 

 cailzie, pheasant-grouse, ruff, solitary snipe, and perhaps others, 

 are, as is believed, polygamists." (p. 406.) From all that I can 

 gather, it would seem that the question has not yet been decided. 

 Coming to the Cursone, the group contains but few species that 

 I know of, that have been suspected of being polygamists and 

 among these is the great bustard (Otifi tarda), — and with it 

 most of the evidence seems rather to point to the fact, that such 

 is the case. Whetlier any other representatives of this somewhat 

 numerous group (Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia) are })olyg- 

 amous by habit, I am unable at present to say. However, the 

 birds called 'floricans' of India, closely allied species to the 

 bustards, are reported as practising ])(>lygainy. There seem to 

 be two known s[)ecies of these, -the Bengal { Si/ p/irol idr.^- hr>i- 

 fjalensis) and the lesser floriciui (N. auritin. 1 )iiriiii:- {tairinu' 

 season the two sexes live apart in groups, and in mating conic 

 together, and "when a male wishes to attract a temporary part- 

 ner, he does so by going through an elaborate series of perform- 

 ances."' It is possible that all the true bustards possess strong 

 inclinations in this direction, even if they are nor actually [polyg- 

 amists. Not so, however, with the stone curlew <K. n; j>d<tns^ 

 a species I have relegated to the (/ursonc iiiiliouuli, 1 by no 



' l.ydekker. R. The Roi/al \ot. lli^t. p. loS. 



^iShufeldt, R. W. "All Arrangement of the Fmnilies and the Higher 

 Groups of Birds." The Amer. Nat., Vol. 38, Xov., Doc, 1904. pp. <S33 -857. 



