te and presently responds with one of equal power. Then,
perhaps, for half an hour, at intervals of half a minute, the
birds answer each other, though the powerful call of the one must
interfere with his hunting. At length he returns; then the two
birds, perched close together, with their yellow bosoms almost
touching, crests elevated, and beating the branch with their
wings, scream their loudest notes in concert--a confused jubilant
noise that rings through the whole plantation. Their joy at
meeting is patent, and their action corresponds to the warm
embrace of a loving human couple."

Of the red-breasted marsh-bird (_Leistes superciliaris_) Hudson
(_Argentine Ornithology_, vol. i, p. 100) writes: "These birds
are migratory, and appear everywhere in the eastern part of the
Argentine country early in October, arriving singly, after which
each male takes up a position in a field or open space abounding
with coarse grass and herbage, where he spends most of his time
perched on the summit of a tall stalk or weed, his glowing
crimson bosom showing at a distance like some splendid flower
above the herbage. At intervals of two or three minutes he soars
vertically up to a height of twenty or twenty-five yards to utter
his song, composed of a single long, powerful and rather musical
note, ending with an attempt at a flourish, during which the bird
flutters and turns about in the air; then, as if discouraged at
his failure, he drops down, emitting harsh, guttural chirps, to
resume his stand. Meanwhile the female is invisible, keeping
closely concealed under the long grass. But at length, attracted
perhaps by the bright bosom and aerial music of the male, she
occasionally exhibits herself for a few moments, starting up with
a wild zigzag flight, and, darting this way and that, presently
drops into the grass once more. The moment she appears above the
grass the male gives chase, and they vanish from sight together."

"Courtship with the mallard," says J.G. Millais (_Natural History
of British Ducks_, p. 6), "appears to be carried on by both
sexes, though generally three or four drakes are seen showing
themselves off to attract the attention of a single duck.
Swimming round her, in a coy and semi-self-conscious manner, they
now and again all stop quite still, nod, bow, and throw their