REVIEW. 



The British Warblers — A History, with Problems of their Lives. 

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

 and Photogravure plates. (R. H. Porter.) 2ls. net. per Part. 

 This fifth Part of Mr. Howard's interesting work* is chiefly 

 concerned with the habits of the Reed- Warbler, but it also 

 contains a description and brief details of the distribution 

 of the Melodious Warbler. There are a number of plates of 

 different species, both in colour and in black andwhite, executed 

 by Mr. Gronvold in the excellent style which has characterized 

 all his drawings in this work. Mr. Howard finds the Reed- 

 Warbler rather unemotional compared to the subjects he has 

 previously written about, and its actions during sexual excite- 

 ment do not call for much notice. With regard to nesting- 

 habits, Mr. Howard has much of interest to say. He asks how 

 is the nest begun, and whether it is more frequently attached 

 to new or old reeds, and whether the new reeds, as they grow 

 up, push up the nest or slip through it. In one case the author 

 found a nest attached to both old and new reeds, and he sug- 

 gests that there was danger of its being overturned by the new 

 reeds growing up, because the joints of the reeds in any case 

 would eventually push the nest up. The depth of the nest he 

 considers absolutely necessary for the safety of the young, 

 although not for the eggs. Incubation appears to commence 

 after the laying of the fourth or fifth egg, and lasts fourteen 

 days after the last egg is laid. The male takes its full share in 

 incubating, but does not seem to brood the young, although 

 it feeds them diligently. The fceces of the young are both 

 swallowed and carried away. At the age of ten days the 

 young climb about the reeds and return to the nest, but on the 

 eleventh day they are fully fledged. 



In this Part Mr. Howard devotes many pages to a dis- 

 cussion of his theory of the necessity for possession of a 

 " territory " by a bird in the breeding -season. He brings 

 forward some strong arguments to show that birds fight for 

 their " territory " rather than for the females, and that the 

 possession of it is so vital a necessity that it provides the cause 

 for the hurrying forward in the spring of the males in advance 

 of the females, amongst warblers for example, as well as for 

 the driving away of the young by such birds as Falcons and 

 Moor-hens. In the struggle for " territory " the author also 

 gives an explanation for the extension of the range of species, 

 and we strongly advise our readers to study Mr. Howard's 

 arguments concerning his interesting theory. — H.F.W. 



* For notices of previous Parts, see Vol. II., pp. 67'8 ; Vol. III., pp. 

 62-4 ; Vol. IV., pp. 62-4. 



