100 The Irish Natuyalist. Sept., 



loudly and constantly till two days later, when the song 

 became infrequent, dropping to a very low note from low 

 perches. About the ist June it re-started a strong and 

 constant song, but I found the nest had been destroyed, and 

 I think the female perished also, for I never saw her again. 

 The male sang on constantly from high perches till the 29th 

 June, when he suddenly stopped and only made a few low 

 notes. I found him \\dth an apparent mate. I heard a few 

 more low notes for two days, but thereafter I never 

 heard him again except early on the 29th July. (I am writing 

 on 3rd August). 



The other breeding male, C, seen first on the 30th April, 

 got a mate about a week later and ceased all song before the 

 13th May. On that day I saw a feather being carried, but 

 I could not find the nest, and from then till the 3rd June I 

 visited the site at varying hours without ever hearing a note. 

 Except for that one feather I could hardly believe the pair 

 could be about. On the 3rd June the male sang at 8 p.m., 

 and I found the young being fed, just hatched, in the spot I 

 had expected. I never heard any more singing except a 

 possible note or two for a couple of evenings. The female 

 alone did the feeding. In the case of another brood which 

 I found in a nest I had heard no singing for a long time 

 though I passed the place daily. 



Now as regards mateless males. A late male, E, was 

 shifting about from 12th to 19th May. He then remained 

 singing at a spot till the 27th May when an apparent mate 

 appeared. I have never heard him since. A male, A, 

 which was one of the earliest to arrive kept to a particular 

 perch on a small tree from 17th April till the 8th July ! 

 Four times a day I passed this bird singing loud up till 10 

 p.m., at intervals of, say, 10 seconds and audible up to 250 

 ^^ards away, only ceasing for occasional feeding. I could 

 never detect any brood operations or any mate till 8th July 

 when a companion appeared. On the next day singing 

 entirely ceased, except a very rare few notes, up to the 15th 

 and again early on the 29th. Another male, F, remained at 

 a couple of perches about 50 yards apart from the 21st May 

 till the 1st July and had no mate that I could detect, and 

 sang like A. On the ist July there was a companion and 

 the male was singing low. I never heard him again. 



