. The bird, its form and function . - of a mere catalogue, my pleais that they have been cited with the intention of empha-sizing the fact of the remarkable degree which decoration,pure and simple, plays in courtship. Viewed from sucha standpoint, these facts and comparisons become im-portant data in the observation of the courtship of birds,. Fig. 227.—Snake-bird, showing crook in neck. which in its turn is one of the most important and interest-ing corollaries of the psycholog}^ of these beings. Whetherfemale birds have highly developed aesthetic feelings, orwhether the songs and dances and
. The bird, its form and function . - of a mere catalogue, my pleais that they have been cited with the intention of empha-sizing the fact of the remarkable degree which decoration,pure and simple, plays in courtship. Viewed from sucha standpoint, these facts and comparisons become im-portant data in the observation of the courtship of birds,. Fig. 227.—Snake-bird, showing crook in neck. which in its turn is one of the most important and interest-ing corollaries of the psycholog}^ of these beings. Whetherfemale birds have highly developed aesthetic feelings, orwhether the songs and dances and colour masses act morealong the line of the passes of a hypnotist, is yet to beascertained. It is also hoped that a realization of the more immedi- 284 The Bird ately practical uses of such structures as the cassowar3shorny hehnet, the feather shield of the Ruff, perhaps thecrest of the kingbird, and many others as }et unknown,will impel amateur observers to further efforts in theinvestigation of the life-habits of birds. CHAPTER XIITHE BODY OF A BIRD N experimenting with balloons and flying-ma-chines, weight is a question of prime import-fx^i^\ ance, and among birds there seem to be certamlimits to the bulk of the body, beyond which flight isimpossible. The tiny hummingbirds, with bodies weigh-ing less than some insects, have remark
Size: 1802px × 1386px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublishernewyo, bookyear1906
