f pairing, male birds are in a
state of the most perfect development, and possess an enormous store of
vitality; and under the excitement of the sexual passion they perform
strange antics or rapid flights, as much probably from an internal
impulse to motion and exertion as with any desire to please their mates.
Such are the rapid descent of the snipe, the soaring and singing of the
lark, and the dances of the cock-of-the-rock and of many other birds.

It is very suggestive that similar strange movements are performed by
many birds which have no ornamental plumage to display. Goatsuckers,
geese, carrion vultures, and many other birds of plain plumage have been
observed to dance, spread their wings or tails, and perform strange
love-antics. The courtship of the great albatross, a most unwieldy and
dull coloured bird, has been thus described by Professor Moseley: "The
male, standing by the female on the nest, raises his wings, spreads his
tail and elevates it, throws up his head with the bill in the air, or
stretches it straight out, or forwards, as far as he can, and then
utters a curious cry."[127] Mr. Jenner Weir informs me that "the male
blackbird is full of action, spreads out his glossy wing and tail, turns
his rich golden beak towards the female, and chuckles with delight,"
while he has never seen the more plain coloured thrush demonstrative to
the female. The linnet distends his rosy breast, and slightly expands
his brown wings and tail; while the various gay coloured Australian
finches adopt such attitudes and postures as, in every case, to show off
their variously coloured plumage to the best advantage.[128]

_A Theory of Animal Coloration._

Having rejected Mr. Darwin's theory of female choice as incompetent to
account for the brilliant colours and markings of the higher animals,
the preponderance of these colours and markings in the male sex, and
their display during periods of activity or excitement, I may be asked
what explanation I have to offer as a preferable substitute. In my
_Tropical Nature_ I have already indicated such a theory, which I will
now briefly explain, supporting it by some additional facts and
arguments, which appear to me to have great weight, and for which I am
mainly indebted to a most interesting and suggestive posthumous work by
Mr. Alfred Tylor.[129]

The fundamental or ground colours of animals ar has been shown in
preceding chapters, very largely protective, and it is not impro