SPORTSMEN AND BIRDS. 
471 
Sparrows, Warblers, and Goldcrests, Chaffinch, Linnet, 
Greenfinch, and Bunting, take an eager part in the 
morning carol. Almost the last to wake is the Jay: first 
it sings a little, taking a note alternately from one bird 
and another to make up its composition; then all at once 
it seems to occur to it that the Buzzard is gifted as a 
vocalist, whereupon it imitates with the greatest exacti¬ 
tude the wild cry of that bird; and finally it remembers 
that it is gifted with a song of its own, and forthwith 
you hear the harsh notes echoing through the wood, 
arousing the few remaining sluggards to life and song. 
In the meanwhile it is light in the east, and we have 
reached our destination. On the borders of a thicket of 
moderate height are placed the huts which we are to 
occupy as stalls, while the green forest-lawn represents 
the stage upon which our hero is to appear, he having 
during the last eight days regularly performed his amatory 
“pas seul The forester told me this as we crept into 
one of the huts; after which he ordered me not to speak 
or stir in my narrow hiding-place, as the expected virtuoso 
is quite averse to human spectators. He whispered, 
however, in my ear the whole life and history of the 
Blackcock. 
Here he comes,—there’s our performer ! Scarcely has 
the bird alighted than it commences its splendid ballet: 
it bows down its head almost to the ground, ruffles all 
its feathers, presses the half-expanded wing in a down¬ 
ward direction, or lets it hang loosely pendant; the 
lyre-shaped tail is spread out to such an extent as to 
form a semicircle, showing the lower white tail-coverts; 
it begins to gobble, repeating the performance from 
three to five times in succession, followed by the “ whet¬ 
ting” process; after which it springs once or oftener 
3 R 
