United States or Luxembourg ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
The avifauna, of course, becomes poorer; nevertheless the woods of the Steppe, and still more the forests of the Ante-Steppe, give refuge to many birds, even to the hazel-hen, the woodcock and the black-grouse. The fauna of the thickets at the bottom of the river-valleys is decidedly, rich and includes aquatic birds.
This principle apparently comes into play on many occasions: thus it is generally admitted that the songs of birds serve mainly as an attraction during the season of love, and that the leks, or great congregations of the black-grouse, are connected with their courtship; but the habit of singing has been retained by some birds when they feel happy, for instance by the common robin, and the habit of congregating has been retained by the black- grouse during other seasons of the year.
When we see leaf-eating insects green, and bark-feeders mottled-grey; the alpine ptarmigan white in winter, the red-grouse the colour of heather, and the black-grouse that of peaty earth, we must believe that these tints are of service to these birds and insects in preserving them from danger.
But can we believe that the very slight differences in tints and markings between, for instance, the female black-grouse and red-grouse serve as a protection? Are partridges, as they are now coloured, better protected than if they had resembled quails?
If so, we may further infer that nearly similar plumage of the female black-grouse was similarly produced at some former period.
Black-cock, polygamous; proportion of the sexes in the; pugnacity and love-dance of the; call of the; moulting of the; duration of the courtship of the; and pheasant, hybrids of; sexual difference in coloration of the; crimson eye-cere of the. Black-grouse, characters of young. Blacklock, Dr., on music.
When we see leaf-eating insects green, and bark-feeders mottled-grey; the alpine ptarmigan white in winter, the red-grouse the colour of heather, and the black-grouse that of peaty earth, we must believe that these tints are of service to these birds and insects in preserving them from danger.
Brehm, on the effects of intoxicating liquors on monkeys; on the recognition of women by male Cynocephali; on the diversity of the mental faculties of monkeys; on the habits of baboons; on revenge taken by monkeys; on manifestations of maternal affection by monkeys and baboons; on the instinctive dread of monkeys for serpents; on the use of stones as missiles by baboons; on a baboon using a mat for shelter from the sun; on the signal-cries of monkeys; on sentinels posted by monkeys; on co-operation of animals; on an eagle attacking a young Cercopithecus; on baboons in confinement protecting one of their number from punishment; on the habits of baboons when plundering; on polygamy in Cynocephalus and Cebus; on the numerical proportion of the sexes in birds; on the love-dance of the blackcock; Palamedea cornuta; on the habits of the Black-grouse; on sounds produced by birds of paradise; on assemblages of grouse; on the finding of new mates by birds; on the fighting of wild boars; on sexual differences in Mycetes; on the habits of Cynocephalus hamadryas.
But since this period the male black-grouse has acquired his fine black plumage, with his forked and outwardly-curled tail-feathers; but of these characters there has hardly been any transference to the female, excepting that she shews in her tail a trace of the curved fork.
Word Of The Day