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Show 6! SEXUAL SELECTION: BIRDS. PAnT J[. He found that by blowing on these feathers, or uy fastening them to a. long thin stick and waving them rapidly through the air, he could exnctly reproduce the drumming noise made by the living bird. Both sexes arc furnished with these feathers, uut they are generally larger in the male than in the female, and emit a deeper note. In some Fig. 42· Outer tail-feather of Scolopnx frena ln. speC•i es, as m• S. j:r enata ~ (fig. 42), four feathers, ~ ~ and in S. }avensis (fig. Fig. 43. Outer tall-feather of Scolopax juvcnsis. 43), no less than eight on each side of the tail are greatly modified. Different tones are emitted uy the feathers of the different species when waved through the air; and the Scolopax W~'lsonii of the United States makes a switching noise whilst descending rapidly to the earth.52 In the male of the Chammpetes unicolor (a large galli-naceous bird of America) the first primary wing-feather is arched towards the tip and is much more a.ttenuatcd than in the female. In an allied bird, the Penelope nigra, Mr. Salvin observed a male, which, whilst it flew downwards "with outstretched wiugs, gave forth " a kind of crashing, rushing noise," like tho falling of a treo.53 rrhe male alone of one of the Indian uustards (Sypheotides aurittts) has its primary wingfeathers greatly acuminated; :mel the male of an allicLl 6z Sec M. Meves' interesting paper in 'Proc. Zool. 'oc.' 1858, p. lDD. For the habits of the snipe, Macgillivray, 'Ilist. Drilish Dirds,' vol. iv. p. 371. For the American snipe, Capt. Dlakiston, 'Ibis,' vol. v. 18G3, p. 131. 53 Mr. Sn1vin, in 'Proc. Zool. Soc.' 1 G7, p. 1GO. I am much in-d bted to this distinguished ornithologist for sketches of the feo.therB of the Chamropc.tes, and for other information. CnAr. xnr. INSTRUMEN'rAL MUSIC. (;5 -species is known to mal~ . comtino- the £ema1 - 54 I "o a . hummmg noi, o whilst b . 0 ' e. n a Wide] d'.ffi uds, namely the H . ,_. y 1 orent group of f ummmo--uuds th 1 o certain kinds have 'th . b ' 0 rna es alone th . CI er . e s~afts of their primary Wlng-foathers broadly dilated or the webs abruptly excisecl towards ~he extremity. The male, for Instance, of Selasphonts platycerm~s, when aduJt has tho first primary wino·~ feha' ther (Jig·. 44) ' P.Xr: d ? J dSO In t 1S manner. 'Whilst flyino-from flower to fl owrr ho0 Fig. 4<1. Primary winp;-fealher of tl Humming-bird, t!Jc Selas}lhM·us ;/atyce1 ·us C.from a sketch by Mr. Sn.il~in) l!!lper f•gnrc, thnt of mule; lowe; ~fat!~:· corresponding feather of fc-m · akes " 'a s1 n · ill ' a 1m ost whistlin o- · . "55 . chcl not appear to l\I . S l . o' nois~ ' bnt Jt tionally made. I. a vm that tho nmse was inten- Lastly, in several species of u Manakin, the males have ~h .. a su -genus ?f Pipra OI' modified, as described b ~~r ~econd~r¥ wmg-.fcathers remarkable manner. I y th . c~at_ei, m a stlll moro deliciosa the first thre n do ~rilhantly-colourecl P. l e secon anes are tl . 1 t anc curved towards tho boclv . . liC \:-S emmcd (fig. 45 a) the chang· . ~ ' m the fourth and fifth ' ' e IS greater· 1 · h and seventh (b ) tl ' anc m t e sixth " ' c le shaft "is th. k l extraordinary deO'ree for . o· . IC ~enec to an The barbs also arob ' tl mhmb a solid horny lump." · grea Y c au ()'eel in ] · parJson with the correspo d' . ~b s Jape, m com-female. Even the b n Ifngheat~ers (d, e,f) in tho th ones o t e wmg h. 1 ese singular feathers in I w IC 1 snpport Fraser to be much tl . ] t1Ie male are said by l\fr. 1IC \:enec · Tl1 ese 11' ttle birds make "' Jerdon 'Birds of I d' ' o5 Goultl ' 'I t l .n m, vol. iii. p. 618 621 'p ' n roc ucttOn to tho '1' 1 . .' • roc. Zoolog. Soc.' 18G7, p. 1GO. roc nhtlcc,' 1861, p. 40. Salvin, VOL. II. |