. The bird; its form and function . Fig. 222.—Casque ot Hornhil Heads and Necks 279 We can only compare these little Joseph-coated birdswith the unnatural sports among domestic poultry andpigeons. But whatever their colour, these Fighting Snipe findtheir ruffs of service in their encounters at the breedingseason. Four male birds which I observed in captivity. Fig. 223.—Ruff with battle-cloak partly moulted. were adorned respectively,—plain gray, dotted gray,chestnut barred with black, and a rich golden no females were present, yet their fighting instinctoften cropped out and a pa
. The bird; its form and function . Fig. 222.—Casque ot Hornhil Heads and Necks 279 We can only compare these little Joseph-coated birdswith the unnatural sports among domestic poultry andpigeons. But whatever their colour, these Fighting Snipe findtheir ruffs of service in their encounters at the breedingseason. Four male birds which I observed in captivity. Fig. 223.—Ruff with battle-cloak partly moulted. were adorned respectively,—plain gray, dotted gray,chestnut barred with black, and a rich golden no females were present, yet their fighting instinctoften cropped out and a pair of them w^ould dart and side-step about each other, bills held low and far advanced,ruff spread out from the breast and trailing low, hidingalmost the whole body. Now and then one of the fencerswould make a vicious dash, sending his bill through the 28o The Bird feather shield of his opponent. But the force of theblow would spend itself on the inch of space between theshield and the feathers of the birds breast. When, inhis native haunts, the Ruff has conquered his rival, histriumphant dances before the female are most these facts are not exactly pertinent to the physical yjjM ^^^HH^^BI 1 (H^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H 1 \ ^^^^H \ 1^ Fig 224.—Breast ornament of a Wild Turkeycock. life of the bird, yet I mention them to show to what
Size: 1613px × 1549px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1906
