of these birds, see Gould s Handbook to the Birds of Australia, vol.
i. 1865, p. 417.) This species, when courting the female, slightly
spreads out and vibrates these parti-coloured tail-coverts in a very
peculiar manner. The male Amadina Lathami behaves very differently,
exhibiting before the female his brilliantly spotted breast, scarlet
rump, and scarlet upper tail-coverts. I may here add from Dr. Jerdon
that the Indian bulbul (Pycnonotus hoemorrhous) has its under
tail-coverts of a crimson colour, and these, it might be thought, could
never be well exhibited; but the bird when excited often spreads them
out laterally, so that they can be seen even from above. (92. Birds
of India, vol. ii. p. 96.) The crimson under tail-coverts of some
other birds, as with one of the woodpeckers, Picus major, can be seen
without any such display. The common pigeon has iridescent feathers on
the breast, and every one must have seen how the male inflates his
breast whilst courting the female, thus shewing them off to the best
advantage. One of the beautiful bronze-winged pigeons of Australia
(Ocyphaps lophotes) behaves, as described to me by Mr. Weir, very
differently: the male, whilst standing before the female, lowers his
head almost to the ground, spreads out and raises his tail, and half
expands his wings. He then alternately and slowly raises and depresses
his body, so that the iridescent metallic feathers are all seen at
once, and glitter in the sun.
Sufficient facts have now been given to shew with what care male birds
display their various charms, and this they do with the utmost skill.
Whilst preening their feathers, they have frequent opportunities for
admiring themselves, and of studying how best to exhibit their beauty.
But as all the males of the same species display themselves in exactly
the same manner, it appears that actions, at first perhaps intentional,
have become instinctive. If so, we ought not to accuse birds of
conscious vanity; yet when we see a peacock strutting about, with
expanded and quivering tail-feathers, he seems the very emblem of pride
and vanity.
The various ornaments possessed by the males are certainly of the
highest importance to them, for in some cases they have been acquired
at the expense of greatly impeded powers of flight or of running. The
African night-jar (Cosmetornis), which during the pairing-season has
one of its primary wing-feathers developed into a streamer of very
great length, is thereby much retarded in its flight, although at other
423