Most of the British Buntings are plain-coloured birds; but in the spring the feathers on the head of the male reed-bunting (_Emberiza schœniculus_) acquire a fine black colour by the abrasion of the dusky tips; and these are erected during the act of courtship. Mr. Weir has kept two species of Amadina from Australia: the _A. castanotis_ is a very small and chastely-coloured finch, with a dark tail, white rump, and jet-black upper tail-coverts, each of the latter being marked with three large conspicuous oval spots of white.[144] This species, when courting the female, slightly spreads out and vibrates these parti-coloured tail-coverts in a very peculiar manner. The male _Amadina Lathami_ behaves very differently, exhibiting before the female his brilliantly-spotted breast and scarlet rump and scarlet upper tail-coverts. I may here add from Dr. Jerdon, that the Indian Bulbul (_Pycnonotus hæmorrhous_) has crimson _under_ tail-coverts, and the beauty of these feathers, it might be thought, could never be well exhibited; but the bird “when excited often spreads them out laterally, so that they can be seen even from above.”[145] The common pigeon has iridescent feathers on the breast, and every one must have seen how the male inflates his breast whilst courting the female, thus showing off these feathers to the best advantage. One of the beautiful bronze-winged pigeons of Australia (_Ocyphaps lophotes_) behaves, as described to me by Mr. Weir, very differently: the male, whilst standing before the female, lowers his head almost to the ground, spreads out and raises perpendicularly his tail, and half expands his wings. He then alternately and slowly raises and depresses his body, so that the iridescent metallic feathers are all seen at once, and glitter in the sun. Sufficient facts have now been given to shew with what care male birds display their various charms, and this they do with the utmost skill. Whilst preening their feathers, they have frequent opportunities for admiring themselves and of studying how best to exhibit their beauty. But as all the males of the same species display themselves in exactly the same manner, it appears that actions, at first perhaps intentional, have become instinctive. If so, we ought not to accuse birds of conscious vanity; yet when we see a peacock strutting about, with expanded and quivering tail-feathers, he seems the very emblem of pride and vanity.