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Show I Arboreal' Courtship. "It Is always amusing to watch tho rooks In tho period of their courtship," says an English writer. "When tho malo bird llrst begins to seek a mate tho fact is soon made known to tho world at largo bv a curious hoarsening of his voice. There Is no accounting for tastes, according to an old proverb, and to the female rook thore ls no music equal to tho hoarseness that her lord begins to show about the middle of January. Then began the violent vio-lent tournaments of which sho Is a passive spectator Tho two claimants for her favor fa-vor ofton begin pecking at one another at the very tops of the trees and, as In the fury of their onsluught they lose foothold, they drop and drop and drop till they bump against tho ground, often at the very feet of somo human onlooker who has been watching their proceedings with Interested curiosity. Darwin tolls us of similar Incidents In the life history of deer and cites as somewhat of an argument argu-ment against tho doctrine of tho survival of the fittest that, while two lordly and robust stogn are lighting for the hind. It will ofton happen that a timid and feeble third stag will come In and carry off the prize. "But no such caprlclousness as that ls allowed the female rook. Probably before tho battle begins ho who aspires to bo her futuro lord and master has selected the home In which they are to live, nnd should any other rook attempt to share It with her ho will light him to the death. In this case tho survival of the Ilttest Is Insured. "When once they ure mated the rooks seem to stick together and be subject to little further molestutlon. though occasionally. occa-sionally. I think a gay Lothario will attempt at-tempt to make love whero he ought not to. But In that case the whole colony of rooks unite against him and peck and beat him with their wings till ho la at tho point of ieath." |