Stoddard, on Birds of Southern Wisconsin 
73 
will instinctively gather if allowed to live, is an extremely in- 
teresting habit, the exact nature of which is imperfectly under- 
stood. The “cooing gronnd’’ on the sandy west end of Sank 
Prairie has been used each Spring for over thirty years to his 
own knowledge, Mr. Ochsner says, the birds always using the 
same knoll, whether in rye, stnbble, or grown to grass. The 
folloAving observations were made from a shallow pit dug twenty- 
live yards from the knoll, while making the necessary studies 
and collecting the specimens and accessories for a gronp. 
The “cooing” starts sometime the last of March and con- 
tiiines well into Jnne, each day that the Aveather is snitable. 
Ochsner and I made abont tAventy trips mornings and evenings. 
The birds nsnally arrive very early, some Avere on the grounds 
before daylight tAvo mornings that Ave tried to beat them, but 
on other occasions the bnlk of them came in shortly after day- 
light. A feAV jumps high in the air as if to take the stiffness 
out of his legs and the bird Avas ready to perform. In “boom- 
ing” the head Avas loAvered and Avell ont, Avings drooped till 
their tips tonched the groniid, tail spread and cocked slightly 
forAvard, long neck tnfts vertically erected till their tips were 
close together, and the ornamental eye patches of bright yel- 
loAV skin extended to the ntmost. The Avings Avere quickly 
shaken, producing a slight rattling sound, the lavender bor- 
dered orange neck sacks inflated to the size of small oranges, 
then conies the resonant C-A-0-0-0-0-0, H-0-0, H-0-0, rising 
and in the same tones as do, ra, me, of the musical scale. This 
note carries a long distance on the still morning air. I have 
heard it over water Avhere the nearest land Avas nearly two 
miles aAvay. Tavo cackling calls, much like those of domestic 
roosters, were frequently heard when the excitement Avas high, 
one a loud ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-a-a-a-a, and tlie other a long drawn 
out q-u-a-h. Sometimes tAvo cocks Avould “boom” and approach 
one another sideAvays in a threatening manner. When actually 
tighting the tufts Avere doAvn and neck sacks collapsed. They 
jump up and doAvn, sometimes completely over one another, 
dislodging many feathers. When they back aAvay each seems 
glad that it is over. 
In the excitement of their rapid rushes, cooing and combat, 
others may gather till seven or eight are close together. Then 
may come a lull, the birds returning to their well trodden 
stands, each a few feet from his nearest rival, till another tight 
occurs, and the excitement again runs high. The center of the 
