No. 483] 



MATING AMONG BIRDS 



169 



gant families of birds, representatives of which, in more or fewer 

 species, are found in all parts of the world. These are the pheas- 

 ants (Phasianidfe), the grouse (Tetraonidse) , the American Par- 

 tridges (Odontophoridae), the Guinea fowl (Numididcie), and the 

 Turkeys (Meleagridai). Great is the wealth of species in the most 

 of these several families, and while some of them are polygamous, 

 others are strictly monogamous, and the habits of any of tlicm 

 may be changed through domestication, and tluy soinctiines 

 infringe upon, or even break, some of the rules oi\cn in tore- 

 going paragraphs. Included in their ranks are all of our eounnon 

 domesticated gallinaceous fowl, and occasionally the habits of 

 some of these are very remarkable. 



Very much do I regret that I cannot give more space to this 

 group as it is both an interesting as well as an inij)ortaiit one; 

 moreover, authors are by no means unanimous in their opuiKuis 

 in regard to the modes of mating, and in the case of xtnie species 

 we have apparently no data at all. Considerable part of the 

 literature has been carefully looked up by me. No one sct ins to 

 question but what such species as the capercailie and black urouse 

 of northern Europe are polygamous. Pheasants an<l their near 



but in this I may be wron.y-. The wild tnrkens of North Ain(>riea 

 are also polyganiists. thoiio-h it is said that the oM males i^-enerally 

 have a favorite hen.while the other females he favors are but his 

 concubines. Peacocks are polygamous but the \arioiis species 

 of Guinea fowl are eminently monogamous. When the latter 

 are domesticated, however, as vast numbers of them are, I have 

 personally known a male Guinea fowl to take charije of six or 

 seven hei'is. and the latter would all lav the usual nund.er of e,u-s 

 and brino- forth their youno-. From all I can -ather, it ha. been 



monogamous. This .eems toVe the ca^' too. with tlie l.ir.l> we 

 call quail (American partridnvs: ( ),lo.itoi.liorid,c i. ihou::!, 1 am 



our typical o-n.use iCa'nada. dusky, Fra.d<lin-s a>.d others!,' the 

 sage cock, howev(>r, i.> polygamous i ( Vntrocercus 



Audubon, wluxse life-histories of our game birds are so thorough- 



