The sun., 1895-02-17

ie.cribed, in many ~ the ianiiiics males an
females dance together There Is one sort q
| genuine hen nnr,y-and have little mOrI
iIghisi T1i7 y tl,c genus TThb"lsyn tonni I
amusement - pretending TO nrlt Nis rs wue
spread, II may he said, as the Lird Kingdom. s.
vast number Of bird species do this that ~
will watch the rollins when they first come Til
spring he will see ngny q boxing match, 50 u
| speak, which though brief will be spirited al,
| perfectly gOOd nntured withal.
| There II in Central America n bird callct
| sditdtc by the natives hat can always be fnunt
| around the cattle IL has a curious way NJ en-
| Joylnn Itself a group will gather on smootl
ground or on cattle shed, and one will rnili'
steps forward stretch out its neck to lul
length, and then With wide-cpcn mouth make
wings ami feathers 10 place and RI isihv us head
with the bin To- the zenith. t. stands rigid for Il
moment. After this II returns TO Its place hno
another takes tling rs 1t hud dOne.
Interest nR as the past times Of the birds So fal
mentioned must nc wncn seen 10y any me wllo
has even n little love for nature. more Ondcr
ful things remain IL he told. There ~ II hirl
Tor instance. The crimson- -b"nk,d weaver OF y
rira tIu,ir, aiHjii,I,irdi i,l which is ~ much
pke u bud 10y NJ school aS one need wish to see
Tor his fhNoritr Iuiimr Is pr:t"ring smaller
birds in n IN 1T ridiculous In hion. At every
convenient ObpUr, unty this Hu,lHcio,is r"sCal
catches another bud tyihv tail and holds II.
while the captive ilnil.is and screams in anger.
fnr several seconds. Then he lets II 20 again
and chirp, tchncklrs) with malicious glrc.
But most remarkable OF all hird- in the world
IN their pastimcs are the bower birds. for they
not only get together to play and dance. but they
actually build bowers and pavilons In which to
carry on their r-vcrt. Tue dUblWyH 3 Ulyr,
ndt9 OF pnnua selects rs the place fot building
Its bower u level piece oi ground about the bu-i.
Gf sapling that T. say half or thrre-qunrtcrs
OF IN inch In Il d.amCtcr. Against this iiny
tree 1t places slender piles nearly q yn,d long
precisely ~ a i oOdsmau would DO when making
q acircular bark shunty around the base of II tree.
These pulcs have forks at the top, too. as the
woOdsman's would have, and enough of them
are put up to form ratiers for, shnnty
among these raftcrs the birds working in
companiesl weave stems of grass and hts Of
leaves leaves until they have waterproof roof.
but roomy. nrchcd entrance il loft On
bank ment OF moss ia built but the object for
which this is done is not known. One observer
has suggested that they build It in order that
the centre pole may be :. held firmly In place,
OF moss all around the interior circum ference OF
this assembly room. and then the structure is
imagined when 1t is calculated that this club
house house, SO to speak. Is about four feet in diane
Yer ana twenty inches high and that the gallery
Nevertheless. even when the house is done,
they arc not ready for the house warming; they
way, the birds cover over Il lawn or front yard
as large as their house floor with soft carpet Of
moss, and then decorate this lawn with no end
Of bright flowers, the gaudy wings OF butter
flies. higi-colorcd fiuits, anything that will
show S In brilliant &C. contrast with the dark green
lawn they continue their artistic work to the
gallery within, until II. too flashes is beautiful
co!Ors from beneath the shade of the roof. And
ell that is the work of bird no larger than the
American robin.
Another species. chidmyderd ndculntu. builds
a tent by feet large on the ground and rising
In Gothic arch to height of about two feet. 1t
covers the ground with woven twigs first. max
ing spring-mat floor that any one would say
was simply elegant for II dance. The walls are
OF sticks and grass woven and matched until
the first sticks erected being held Ia
q tIe
and by bracinR with stones piled against them.
40 gallery is built here. VI the structure ana
OF objects than the other birds use bits of white
bones and shells being common Moreover, the
hanginGs; that is: 1t Is lined with soft grasses OF
dellcate a shades OF color care being taken that
no stih ond of n grass stalk projects to mar the
sort, nuny appearance of the wall.
Ia the case OF eacii OF these pavilion builders
I, house warming l, heid rs soon as the struc-
he happiest Of moods, The females perch on
the gayly decorated gallery in the one ease, and
against the soft walls in the other. while tho
males strut about on the floor 10 exhibit their
Ine feathers or dance Indian fashion. while all
hands sing and futter in time 10 the music.
ana 1 thereafter these play houses are places of
iaiy resort.
There is one very interesting fact about all of
hese ways in which birds show their n-loving
and that is that the various antics
are most noticeable after the birds have paired, |
,aye ,i,, selected mates The notion that the Bra
'r the bower birds build their pavlions in order
hat the females may have a.chancc to all tho
lspirants, and SO make conscious selections be-
'ause of the special brightness or the special
ength Of crest on this or that male dancer, does |
ield. Among few birds there is a COM
petition between males when mating begins |
turing which each male seems to be trying to |
exhibit itself to the best advantage before the |
'ritical female. The common yeilowhammer Ia |
. mo- excellent example OF this but even there |
natr because Of his beauty 1t may b" because |
u his grace instead, or becausc OF the attrac- |
lEeness OF his voice. or because of some quality
which human sight is unable to perceive. As |
or the great majority OF birds. lhe male is NOR.
levoted and moc ener setic in the display OF his |
plumace and sweetness OF voice and |
race OF action after mating than before.
ANY consideration OF bird habits shows sonie
,,ery human-liko trnits in what tho birds do In
mites when playing. The wood l!cwer family
he tree creeptrs and oven birds. for instance
eop!e. The oven birds. called h0use II est builders
" the Hnarani Indians OF the Paranu. mate for
re, and are not only faithful to each other. hut
how remarkable affection one for the other.
hey usually, though not always, hunt together.
ND y ior time they are separated by even
mali distance hey keep calling to each other
When the young nre hatchcd and
ne BIRD hnds bit OF food To carry to the ncst
e other one i goes @ along although il has moth
eparation they meet again they shout with JOY
he to the other.
lack and red tanagers found in abundance in
icaragua. The male is OF IA velvcty black ali
'ei cACept u Spot just hpONe the tutl, that Is
aiming red. The female is q sober brown 4
lore ungallant fellow than this male tanaCer
oud bc hard to imagine. 1t lives in a region
many dangers, and hawks are ever present so
hat docs this tannger do when he wants 10
ross an opcn place but send his wife ahead. Ii
le reach cover without attack then he will
'llow. or course, he hides himself rs quickly
) possible on reaching the sheltcring bushes.
nd yet, such is the pecularity OF the female
,, 's,te, this c3wardly scamp is such. popular
lloW that ho always has half u dozen of fe-
aies around him; he Is u poygRmist
AS house builders there are some birds that |
low very much greater skill than many trihe,
aoorigines do. Take the oven birds, already
entioned. rs an example. Their nest is nude !
clay, shaped something like TN oven, ana is !
prodiglous size and strength. There are king |
'hers that maze burrows that for warmth and |
miort equal the digout common III West
n Texas. There are birds that weave nests,
hieh they attach Ia reeds and cnulk with clay
lSl they are ram and storm proof, and yet too
INT TO weigh down the reeds. There are birds
at make nests on the waterproof model. A
bulnr passage of small interlaced twigs runs
'wn IKE the spout OF n waterpot or teapot and {
en- turns up into a great room, whose walls
q a solid mass OF clay and sticks
The baya tNsiicurrIiGJ of southeastern Asia d
Nus tw0-st0ry, thrce-room nesy which /, 1
spends from handy limb or the caves Of "A 4