Show S ALWAYS LEAP YEAR I EAR I IThe The Female Phalarope Bird Does the Courting Wilsons phalarope is very common in n nearly nearl all parts of the northwestern tern prairies wherever there are grassy Pools or sloughs It is a quiet ful little t i bird with no Immodest out outcries cries feeding prettily along the tho moist margins of the sloughs and rind not dis itself over ovel our presence From rom nearly every standpoint this phalarope like all nU other othor species B of ot its ita class ib iban an anomaly among the birds Apparently Apparently Apparently a land bird it has partially webbed or scalloped s felt and is a good and graceful swimmer The female is the larger and handsomer of the pair pall she does the courting and he most of the he subsequent incubation and nur nUrs nursery ry work worl He is duly meek and obedient a becomes the husband of an Ama Amazon Amazon Am zon for tor so worthy and strenuous a ayoung ayoung ayoung young female as she will ill not tolerate tL IL i buck hanging around idle when there theres Is s plenty of useful work to be done For her part to lay eggs so big that the chicks are clothed and able to run at birth is all that should reasonably be e expected of her Their marital rela reia are otherwise scandalous from our point of view Two or three idle vainglorious females are often seen de devoting devoting devoting voting themselves to one little male mal maleat malat at the height of the nesting season and no one ono seems to be sure whether or not he is the husband of any anyone one or all of them Anyhow they are all head lead over ears In love Jove with him One such group of four followed me around one afternoon as though anxious about their nest in the grass They Thoy The alighted in a pool to swim about and amI I secured a snapshot of them Herbert K Ii K Job in Some LakeSide Waders of the Northwest in the Outing Maga Magazine Magazine Magazine zine for September |