The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-08-31
WALKING IN MIDAIR
DANCE or THE YPEcAssAS AND
FRoLIcs or oEHER HRcS.

Eccentric GyfatiOns Of ths BLACK Faes4
Ibis OF PatasOnia--Reafhsfed crsaeuru9
far Jigs-FantastaO Freaks
The theory with regard TO bisdsisthzA
In the love season. when the msies ase ez-
cited ~ad Gngags IN oourezhip, the fsraaasz
do not fesl to The strongsEs snA ncH acE-
i've. nor to those thsss a<s frxs In ehofslA
but thst they are endowed with A.fEunltg
corresponding 70 sas zsehsEao fselang or
taste in man. and del7hsEase1Y seAect unsass
for their supeSiority IN omS@snhssieqAk
itv. such as graceful IN fanssscie mOkanux,
melody of voice. hriIIh1<y OF color orp%
fiction OF ornamenASs DorhtleSs all birds
were originally plaia eolored, withoUt CT
nanents and without melody, and It y a.,
sumed that so il woGld always have hsea
but for tia action OF this prinripla. which.
hike natural Selection. has gonaon Acrumu-
laring countless small variations. tending
TO give greater luSter 70 the species in
each case.
NY experience "a that mammals and
birds, with few exce5Lians-prohahly thcre
are really ne exceptiGaS-posseSs the habit
regular OF set performances. with or with
out sound. OF composed Of sound exclusive
"; and that these parfncnan1sa WITCH In
many animals Krs only dizoonfAuk sriea
and chorrsz and pucouth. Irregular me-
tionA in tire more aarial. grsesfai Rndms-
lodiCus kinds TAXA tEarasAEurahly hrzhcr.
more oc2piex and more Seantifsl lorna
Among Shs mAmzaaHans the inSt1nca aD-
-
are. - a rule, leSs admirable than thoso
seen in birds. There sre SONS kinds, Il IL
true, like cha squirrels and monkeys, OF ar
boreal habits. almost hirrkiiks In their rest
less enszXy and in the swiftae~s and earti-
tuds Of thar motions, IN which thu slight,-
est inpcks can bs Instantly sxprosssa In
graceful OF fantastic action; others. hike
the Chinch5nldHs family. have 0rrStlY de-
veloped vocal orEanA and resenbls birds
in loquRcity. but mammals gsn0rally. com
pared with birds. are slow and heavy and
not 80 readily moved to civilizations OF the
kind l am discussing
ELABORATE nANCIS
The terrestrial Dimes. often very elabor~
ate Of heavy birds, kke those az the galli-
naceous kind, are reprv9snted In ths more
volatile spscfes by performances in the AR
and these are vary mroh mOre heauttfui.
while very large number of btnds-tsEwiSS.
vulJunes, swiftS swallows, ntghtjars,
storks, ibfses. spoonhiIls and guIls-oirale
about Ia the air, singly or in fiockS- Some
times, in serene weather. thsy Tiss 20 vast
altitude, and float about IN Ds-sYos fer an
hour or longer at astretch. showing a faint
bird oloud In tina bloc that does not change
It's form nor grow lighter and denssr, like
a flock Of starilngs, but Ia the scnuing con
fusion there II perfecs order, and amid
many hundreds each swirl or slow gliding
figure keeps It's praper dtstanoewfth such
exactitude that no two ever touch, even
with the eKtrsaTity Of the long wings. dap
ping OF modonless
The black faced itjis Of Patagonia, a bird
nearly as large as a turksY, indulgrs In =
curious mad perforEAAnoe USUALLY in tho
evening when feeding time Is over. Tho
birds OF hoS5k. while winatng their way
TO the roes-inz Pls<zr. al at 0nce seem pos
sessed with frauEy, simultaneously daAh-
ing downward with amazing vfolencs,
doubling about in che most eornDtri0 man
Ber, and when close 10 the surtaoa rising
again 10 repeat the action, AL tina while
making the aIr pSlUst<t.fer Lniles around
with thsir hard, EaelAlilc cries. Other ihises.
also birds of ooheE gen<aa, haya. si:nilRr
aerial performances
The displays OF mort duckE known % rne
take the form OK mock nghts OF shs water.
one exception Is tho handsome and toq1a-
ciOus " histiinR Vid goon az - Piata,Eshich
has a pnstty aerial perfornance. A dozen
or twenty birds rIsr I'D until they appear
like small srecks in thsstY. and sometimes
disappear from sight sttogethrT, aud At
thst great sitftude they continue towering
in one spot, oftBn for an hour OF lonRcr.
alternately cloNthgand separating. thu enc.
bright, whistlug notes and hOurizk~s Of
the male curiously harmonizing with the
grave moessTTud notes af the female, and
every tius they close uhcJ slap escA othrr
on tte1ingA 30 sInArtiy that tho sound ran
be digtingtly heard. Ike sppiaudina hand
Claps oven sitter the birds hEvs oeRzsd %
- visible Tbs Tsils, active. sprtzhtiy
Uirds with powesfol Eaa varied voices, are
svcst peTfOrTnsrn; but, owing 90 the uatUrs
Of bba ground they inhAbit sud, % their
shy, s1si. lciUEz character, 10 u net sAsy TO
observe tsi0fr antica
A sc1H.AMrVa C0NCEHT.
The finest ri tire PLBsnll rails isttls yps-
caha, bezutffai, a0siVs biai shoui tho
siss Of TIE fowl a uaE.absy Of ypcoaiIaa
have their ssarDrbiBz p5acs on a small
AREA Of smooth. lSDTi g,T11nd JuEt aaovs
the water, and hsmraed in ~ dense rush
beds. EITst. one bird Ernonz the razhes
enits pVEerfuI GIy, d rue rnpsutefh and
thz is noAe Of invitation, quickly ~
sp9Rrs-a 10 ~ q. Ter bros FROM al Ei,iss -
they hurrIsdly roFsEaT e. tks ugud plan
In fsw moments ShSy appear. % tho
number Gf q dozen or twenty, bunting
from shs rTtsbss and r1nf1ag into the open
sPsre, and instantly beginning the per-
fOrnanpa- Ihss u tn.Incpdhsrs ycrsau1-
ing ooaSar< lie scr~snus they gsLnr bN~s
. CERTAIN Essarn sazDoa 70 the hzrDao voios.
exertsd sotts ussDo~G pitch ard expression
Of extranes eorror, fr-azY and despair.
A luaR piercing ghriek, astonishing for
~ vebsnn=ns ard p0wss. "a suoosodsd By
a lower nOse. - II In to- hyst ths ersatzrs
hGa vel n5gh exhausted Et.siL Tuta dO1-
Bio scr.sra u E=.ess~7 several t1zsas and
followed By otbsR s1Hr1a rsss1lBtlaR. az
tnsy nse ard ri. lrslf UnexA<-wi cr1es q
pain Azsd rroass a snRaixA. Sedzas-ly ths
ubss9thiy skrteks ~ roaaD.a IN al tbeir
power. Wine s>TvnzzinR ths hytis ruaa
from ada 70 Ssds, a. u poa1s&gsd with nsad-
neus. TO- WINS E2=asd End Vlruesnz. is
.Onz kssH ~aAs opSn and rais.d VERT
ally This exEf63csoa ksts tfI.us or far
nbzatsa. asssr which sAs assembly Do4cs-
'utly srnslA %.
Ths singular WAITED wing Eparrsd and
ing tod taearz kss a Enls!e Dsrr-