COURTSHIP AMONG ANIMALS.

Evening Star, Issue 12926, 14 April 1908, Page 8

COURTSHIP AMONG ANIMALS.

Some curious instances of the etiquette of courtship among animals are noted by Mr Percy Collins in the June "Treasury Magazine.' Almost every species of animals, he writes, has its peculiar etiquette of lovemaking. Such timid creatures as the hare, the squirrel, the mole, and the beaver engage in desperate conflicts during the season of love, and the bigger animals, such as the deer and others equipped with formidable horns or tusks, mark the period of courtship by sanguinary conflicts. But there are exceptions to this rule of lovewarfare among the mammals. Certain lady monkeys, for iustance, are attracted by any tendency to grow Hide-whiskers on the part of their suitors. The male mandrill, with his colors at their brightest at the approach of the brccdiug season, is a brilliant dandy. Birds are particularly punctilious in all points connected with the etiquette of lawmaking. The victor must display hi.charms before the hen-bird will coudc*-ei,d to glance iiij his direction. The Una de of the cassowary pays court to the male, and leaves him to incubate the eggs and care for the young chicks. The amorous stickleback commences by building a nest for his fair lady, and from its neighborhood ho drives away all intruders. Then the female comes to survey the home, and the male is transported with delight. When a rival appears on the scene a pitched battle ensues. In the case of insects courtship Is a recognised institution. The male cicadas are thought to sing iu rivalry, and their shrill notes charm the females. A male spider has been observed to excute a lovc-dauce before the female.