102 SEXUAL SELECTION: BIRDS. [Part II. 



nevertheless after all this destruction, a brood was 

 reared. 6 



These facts are certainly remarkable. How is it that 

 so many birds are ready immediately to replace a lost 

 mate ? Magpies, jays, carrion-crows, partridges, and 

 some other birds, are never seen during the spring by 

 themselves, and these offer at first sight the most perplex- 

 ing case. But birds of the same sex, although of course 

 not truly paired, sometimes live in pairs or in small par- 

 ties, as is known to be the case with pigeons and par- 

 tridges. Birds also sometimes live in triplets, as has been 

 observed with starlings, carrion-crows, parrots, and par- 

 tridges. With partridges two females have been known 

 to live with one male, and two males with one female. 

 In all such cases it is probable that the union would be 

 easily broken. The males of certain birds may occasion- 

 ally be heard pouring forth their love-song long after the. 

 proper time, showing that they have either lost or never 

 gained a mate. Death from accident or disease of either 

 one of a pair, would leave the other bird free and single ; 

 and there is reason to believe that female birds during the 

 breeding-season are especially liable to premature death. 

 Again, birds which have had their nests destroyed, or 

 barren pairs, or retarded individuals, would easily be in- 

 duced to desert their mates, and would probably be glad 

 to take what share they could of the pleasures and duties 

 of rearing offspring, although not their own. 7 Such con- 



6 On the Peregrine falcon see Thompson, ' Nat. Hist, of Ireland : 

 Birds,' vol. i. 1849, p. 39. On owls, sparrows, and partridges, see White, 

 'Nat. Hist, of Selborne,' edit, of 1825, vol. i. p. 139. On the Phoenicura, 

 see Loudon's ' Mag. of Nat. Hist.' vol. vii. 1834, p. 245. Brehm (' Thier- 

 leben,' B. iv. s. 991) also alludes to cases of birds thrice mated during 

 same day. 



' See White ('Nat. Hist, of Selborne,' 1825, vol. i. p. 140) on the ex. 

 istence, early in the season, of small coveys of male partridges, of which 

 fact I have heard other instances. See Jenner, on the retarded state of 



