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Show 112 f'EX.UAL SELECTION: nums. J'.u:Tl'l. " shot ." The common lark is drawn down from the 1-lky, and is caught in larg nmnbert>, by a small minor made to move and glitter in the sun. Is it admiration or curio it.y which leads the mu,gpie, raven, and someother bird to steal and secrete bright objects, . nch as ~il ver u,rticle. · or j we]s ? Mr. Gould states that certain humming-birds decorate the outside of their nests, " with the utmost taste ; " they instinctively fasten thereon beautiful pieces of " flat lichen, the larger pieces in the middle, and the " smaller on the part attached to the branch. Now " and then a pretty feather is intertv.,ined or fastened " to the outer sides, the stem being always so placed, " that the feather stands out beyond the surface." The best evirlonce, however, of a taste for the beautiful is afforded by the three genera of Australian bower-birds alreu,dy mentioned. Their bowers (see fig. 4G, p. 70), where the sexes congregate and play strange antics, are differently constructed, but what most concerns us is, that they are decorated in a different manner by the several ·pecies. 1'he Satin bower-bird collects gaily-coloured articles, such as the blue tail-feathers of parrakeets, bleached bones and shells, which it sticks between tho twigs, or ananges at the entrance. Mr. Gould found in one bower a neatly-worked stone tomahawk and a, slip of blue cotton, evidently procured from a native encampment. These objects are continually rearranged, and carried about by the birds whilst at play. The bower of the Spotted bower-bird "is beautifully lined " with tall grasses, so disposed that the heads nearly "meet, and the decorations are very profuse." Round stones are used to keep the grass-stems in their proper places, and to make divergent paths leading to tho bower. The stones and shells are often brought from a great distance. The Regent bird, as described by A! u.u•. Xl\' . l'REFEREN 'E BY TJI.E FEMALE. 113 Mr. llamsay, ornaments its short bower with Lloached ln nd-shells belonging to il ve or six species, and with " berries of various colours, blue, red, and black, which "' give it when fresh a very pretty appearance. Besides " these there were several newly-picked leaves and "' young shoots of a pinkish colour, the whole showino- a " decided taste for tho beautiful." \Veil may l\fr. Go~lcl ·:-;ay "tho e highly decorated halls of assembly must be ..:: regarded as tho most wonderful instances of bird-archi" tocture yet discovered; " and tho taste, as we see, of the several species certainly differs. 15 Preje1·ence jM· pa1·ticular llfcdes by the Females.Having made the o preliminary remarks on tho discrimination and taste of birds, I will give all the facts known to me, which bear on tho preference shewn by tho female for particular males. It is certain that distinct species of birds. occasionall~ pair in a state of nature and produce ~ybnds. Many mstances could be given: thus Macgillivray relates how a malo blackbird and female thrush "' fell in love with each other," and produced offspring.1G Several years ago eighteen cases had been recorded of tho occur.ronce in Great Britain of hybrids between the black grouse and pheasant; 17 but most of these cases ~a~ perhaps be accounted for by solitary birds not f1ndmg _one of their own species to pair with. With -other bn·cls, as Mr. J en nor W cir has reason to believe l1y brids arc sometimes tho result of the casual inter~ ·COurse of birds building in close proximity. But these • 15 On the ornamented nests of hununino--birds Gould 'IntroduriJOn to the 'l'rochilidro,' 1861, p. 19. 0; 1he 'bower-birds Gould 'Handbo?k to the Birds of Australia,' 1865, vol. i. p. 444-4fH. l\1r: .llr.msay m the 'Ibis,' 1867, p. 456. 16 'Ilist. of British Birds,' vol. ii. p. !J2. 17 'Zoologist,' 1853·1854, p. 3946. vor_,, n. |