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The British Warblers. A History with ProUems of their Lives. 

 By H. Eliot Howard, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. Part VI. 

 Coloured and Photogravure Plates. R. H. Porter. 21s. 

 net per Part. 



In this Part* of his interesting work Mr. Howard discusses 

 the breeding habits of the Willow-Warbler and Savi's Warbler, 

 and gives a short description of the Rufous Warbler, while 

 the photogravures and coloured plates (issued subsequently) 

 are by Mr. Gronvold at his best. We may here remark that 

 it might be stated on the coloured plates, as to whether the 

 specimen depicted is in summer or winter plumage. 



In his account of the Willow- Warbler the author discusses 

 at some length whether migrants such as the Warblers return 

 to the same nesting-place, and whether the female seeks her 

 former mate. Mr. Howard has already given us plenty of 

 evidence to prove that, in the Warblers at all events, the male 

 chooses and defends the " territory " in which breeding takes 

 place, and that he arrives in advance of the female. He here 

 brings forward some strong arguments to show that the male 

 cannot wait deliberately for the return of his previous year's 

 partner, as in certain contingencies (such as the death of the 

 female) he would lose the chance of reproduction. " An 

 individual," writes Mr. Howard (pp. 8-9), "that did not seize 

 the first opportunity offered to it of pairing would not repro- 

 duce so frequently as one that did, and its descendants, if 

 they inherited a similar tendency to hesitation, would gradually 

 be eliminated. It would doubtless be untrue to say that the 

 same male and female never meet, since according to the law 

 of chance a reunion must in some instances take place, but 

 to lay it dowTi as a rule that the same individuals meet again 

 and again in consecutive seasons and are consequently paired 

 for life is a different matter, for there can be no rule of that 

 kind unless some useful purpose were thereby served." 



In our review of Part III. (see Vol. III., pp. 62-4) we ven- 

 tured on some suggestions Avith regard to this matter, and we 

 may take Mr. Howard's discussion in the Part now before us 

 as an answer to those suggestions. We admit the strength 

 of his arguments, but we cannot believe that he has got to 

 the bottom of the matter, and since we brought forward in 



pp. 67-8 ; Vol. III., 



* For notices of previous Parts, see Vol. II., 

 pp. 62-4 ; Vol. IV., pp. 62-4 and p. 320. 



