406 



THE ZOOLOGIST. 



the trees. From these rookling now proceeds, and the " Give 

 him his coppers ; he's going to take the electric " is as apparent 

 as ever. It seems likely, therefore, that when I heard all these 

 notes in the darkness the other morning some of the birds, at 

 any rate, were in the arena, though it being, perhaps, a little 

 darker then, I did not see them. Whilst still dark it is a good 

 deal warmer than at and after daybreak, and whether for this 

 reason or that the sexual stimulus is not yet fully developed, the 

 birds seem shy, as yet, of remaining for long on the ground — 

 certainly shyer than some days ago, when the weather was finer 

 and warmer. These last two mornings — Monday and Wednes- 

 day — there has not been any of that darting and flying about 

 over the ground, and springing into the air, that, though little 

 compared to the tremendous " dance " which I once saw in Nor- 

 way, in May, has yet been the most noticeable feature of these 

 present nuptial performances. The difference between the earlier 

 and later form of this sexual whirlwind, as it may be called — 

 between the breeze and the whirlwind — is very great, insomuch 

 that one would hardly at first, or without the evolutionary habit 

 of thought, suppose that the one could have passed into the 

 other. Nevertheless, the last is merely the first intensified, or, 

 at any rate, if one imagines a constant addition, can very well 

 be seen in this light. 



In speculating on the meaning of this frenzy, as at its height 

 it may be well called — indeed it then beggars description — of the 

 Blackcock, its probable course of development must be con- 

 sidered. At first, as shown by my observations of the 12th and 

 13th, the actions indulged in are no more than slight exaggera- 

 tions of ordinary flying and running about over the ground. 

 There is little or nothing suggesting some special object to which 

 they are adapted. They seem the outcome of general excite- 

 ment, or, speaking more accurately, the more or less generalised 

 outcome of a special kind of excitement, which we must hold to 

 be the sexual kind, since, though the sexual instinct may be the 

 greatest provocative of the combative one, we cannot identify it 

 with this, but must suppose it to be anterior to and producing 

 the other, as a consequence of itself. All creatures, whether 

 combative or not, become thus excited during the pairing-time, 

 such excitement standing, as I suppose, in direct connection 



