Democratic Sentinel, Volume 11, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 September 1887 — Odd Antics of Birds. [ARTICLE]

Odd Antics of Birds.

A relative of mine had a large marsh upon his estate, and here the great cranes made their summer home, building their curious nests there and reaping their young, says Prof. Holder in the San Francisco Call. The marsh was surrounded by high grass, and it was his practice to creep through and watch the birds unobserved. The antics they went through it would be impossible to describe—now they would caper along in pairs, stepping daintily with the mincing gait of the ide •! exquisite, lifting their feathers or wings, taking short steps, and gradually working themselves up to a bird frenzy of excitement, when they would leap into the air and over each other’s backs, taking short runs this way ami that, all for the edification of the fenulrs standing by, and finally, after a series of these exhibitions, the different birds selected their mates. Among the birds of the western hemisphere the cock of the rock ranks next to the crane in the strangeness of its evolutions. The bird is confined to South Amer ci, and is about the size of a small pigeon, has . a bright orange web in the male, with a plume-like arrangement upon the head. It is a proud bird, principally building its nest in rocky’ places not visited by man. At the commencement of the breeding season, a party of birds, numbering from ten to twenty, assemble, and selecting a clear space among the rocks, form a ring or circle, facing inward. Now a small bird takes its place in the center, and begins to hop about, toss its head, lift its wings, and go through all the strange movements possible, that appear to be watched with great interest by all the rest. When the performer is thoroughly exhausted he retires to the circle and another bird enters the ring, and so on, until all have been put through their paces, when the pairs probably make their selection. Often the birds are so exhausted after the dances that they can hardly fly, lying panting on the rocks. Near the borders of Southern California is found a bird, called the sunate, that has a strange courtship. It is about the size of a magpie. During the mating season four or five birds collect together and seem to vie with each other in the extravagance of their posturing—wooing now in rows, now rfngle, in a regular dance, and, by way «f music, uttering loud, discordant squawks. Their long tails are lifted high in the air during this performance, and their entire behavior is re* makabte in the extreme.