NATURAL DANCING.

Te Aroha News, Volume VIII, Issue 491, 23 July 1890, Page 4

NATURAL DANCING.

Some of the Dances Only Performed by Birds. There are human dances in which only one person performs at a time, the rest of the company looking on, and some birds, in widely-separated genera, have dances of this kind. A striking example is the rupicola, or coek-of-the-rock, of tropical South America. A mossy level spot of earth surrounded by bushes is selected for a dancing place, and kept well cleared of sticks and stones. Round this area the birds assemble when a cock-bird, with vivid orange-ecarleb crest and plumage, steps into it, and, with spreading wings and tail, begins a series of movements as if dancing a minuet. Finally carried away with excitement, he leap 3 and gyratrs in the most astonishing manner, until becoming exhausted, he retires aud another bird takes his place. In some species all the birds in a company nnibo in the set performances and seem to obey an impulse which affects them simultaneously and in the same degree, but sometimes one bird prompts the others and takes a principal part. One of tho most curious instances I have come across in reading is contained in Mr Bigg-Wither's * Pioneering in South Brazil.’ He relates that one morning in the dense forest his attention was roused by tho unwonted sound of a bird singing-songsters being rare in that district. His men, immediately they caught the sound, invited him to follow them, hinting that ho would probably witness a very curious sight. Cautiously making their way through the dense undergrowth. they finally eamo in sight of a small stony spot of ground, at the end of a tiny glade, and on this spot, someon thestoneand some on the shrubs, were assembled a number of little birds, about the size of tomtitß, with lovely blue plumage and red topknots. One was perched quite still on a twig, singing merrily, while the others were keeping time with wings and feet in a kind of dance, and all twittering an accompaniment. He watched them tor some time, and was satisfied that they were having a ball and concert and thoroughly enjoying themselves; they then became alarmed, and the performance abruptly terminated, tho birds all going off in different directions. The natives told him that these little creatures were known as the ‘dancing birds.’ —‘ Longman’s Magazine.’