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“ Birdlover ”



at its best during, and for a certain period after the season

of courtship, it is presumed that the l’apturous strains of the male

nightingale, attract a female to the neighbourhood of the singer, who

then, by performing in her presence, wins or loses her by virtue of

the quality of his song.


The second theory is the result of careful observation of birds

in the field, and is based chiefly on the fact that song is not solely

connected with courtship. The simple love call is seldom used out¬

side the season of courtship, or for any other purpose ; but song

proper may also be the expression of terror or anger, on occasions

when courtship is quite out of the question. If a rook’s nest of

young be approached, the bird will not utter his love call, but simply

the usual alarm or call note: while if a nightingale or robin be dis¬

turbed, by seeing a suspicious visitor near its nest of young, it will

not infrequently give vent to a burst of song. The only record the

writer has of a nightingale singing after the young are hatched, was

when the bird was disturbed by a camera being placed close to its

nest. Both birds emitted the alarm and the call note continually,

and at intervals the male hurriedly uttered a few bars of song. Another

example of song for other reasons than to charm the lady bird, may

be seen in the autumnal fights for a winter territory between two

robins, when fragments of song accompany the peckings and

scufflings. A sudden loud sound, such as that caused by an aero¬

plane passing over head, will start every blackcap, garden warbler,

willow-wren in the neighbourhood singing furiously. Many other

examples could he cited, hut enough has been said to show that song

is not solely connected with courtship, but may be heard at other

times, and for other reasons. What part then does song play in

securing a mate? It seems to us probable, that when a hen-bird has

been attracted to the neighbourhood of a cock by the latter’s song,

the song then ceases to play an individually important part in the

subsequent courtship. This conclusion is drawn from the fact, that

when a male is courting a mate, his song is never at its best; it is

jerky, sti’ained and disconnected, and has often little resemblance

with the true song ; and the hen-bird to whom it is addressed, instead

of listening to it and judging its merit, apparently takes no notice of

it at all, but quietly continues feeding, without so much as glancing



