Birds that hunt and are hunted; life histories of one hundred and seventy birds of prey, game birds and water-fowls (1912) (14562908598)

Identifier: cu31924090302104 (find matches)

Title: Birds that hunt and are hunted; life histories of one hundred and seventy birds of prey, game birds and water-fowls

Year: 1912 (1910s)

Authors: Blanchan, Neltje, 1865-1918

Subjects: Birds of prey Game and game-birds Waterfowl

Publisher: Garden City, N. Y., Doubleday, Page

Contributing Library: Cornell University Library

Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

Text Appearing Before Image:

is head,distends the sacs on either side of his neck that look like orangesfastened there, ruffles up his feathers to appear twice his naturalsize, erects and spreads his tail, droops his wings, and, rushingacross the arena, takes the floor. Now the ball is opened in-deed. Out rush other dancers, stamping the ground hard astheir feet beat a quick tattoo; the air escaping from their brightsacs making a sort of bubbling crow, quite different from thedeep organ tone of the pinnated grouse ; the rustling of thevibrating wings and tail furnishing extra music. Now all joinin ; at first there is dignified decorum, but the fun grows fastand furious, then still faster and still more furious ; the crazybirds twist and twirl, stamp and leap over each other in theirfrenzy, every moment making more noise, until their energyfinally spent, they calm down into sane creatures again. Theymove quietly about over the well worn space (a chickensstamping ground, measuring from fifty to one hundred feet 282

Text Appearing After Image:

-3 « 5 « Bob Whites, Grouse, etc. across, according to Mr. Ernest Seton Thompson), when, withoutwarning, some male has a fresh seizure that soon starts anothersaturnalia. The whole performance reminds one so stronglyof a Cree dance, says Mr. Thompson, as to suggest thepossibility of its being the prototype of the Indian exercise. . . .The dancing is indulged in at any time of the morning or even-ing in May, but it is usually at its height before sunrise. Itserotic character can hardly be questioned, but 1 cannot fix itsplace or value in the nuptial ceremonies. The fact that I haveseveral times noticed the birds join for a brief set to in the latefall merely emphasizes its parallelism to the drumming and strut-ting of the ruffed grouse as well as the singing of small birds. After pairing, the male, in the usual selfish fashion of histribe, allows his mate to seek some place of concealment, scratchout an excavation screened by grasses, and attend to all nurs-ery duties, while he joins

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1912

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