WHEATEARS, DABCHICKS 89 



and more into the background ? The more one enjoys 

 a thing, the more eager is one to begin it, and as 

 here, the longer the chase lasted, the longer must 

 the romp at the end be postponed, the tendency 

 would be for the former to become shortened and 

 shortened, till at length it ceased altogether, the 

 approach of the one bird getting to be associated 

 in the minds of the other two with the sport or game 

 alone. In the final stage this last might be extra- 

 ordinary in a high degree, but every trace of its 

 origin, as here suggested, would have vanished. And 

 so strongly might the habit or instinct of thus romp- 

 ing a trots be now implanted, that one of any pair 

 of birds would be ready to join any other pair, and 

 they to receive him, in order to indulge in it. 



I can, indeed, see no reason why birds that sported 

 well should succeed in life better than others, but if 

 such sporting were an outcome of general vigour, and 

 vigorous birds were selected, their sportings would 

 be selected also. And that movements of this sort 

 would tend sooner or later — if only by mere prefer- 

 ence — to fall into some sort of form, also seems not 

 unlikely. It will be remembered that what I have 

 just recounted took place early in February, whereas 

 the dabchick does not, in my experience, commonly 

 build before May. One would not, at so early a 

 period, expect to find the jealous and combative 

 feelings of the male in regard to the female bird fully 

 awake, but if there were apt to be occasional sudden 

 outbursts of this — little flare-ups, inducing appropriate 

 action for a few moments and then passing quickly 

 away — the birds might be left, as it were, surprised 

 at themselves and not quite knowing what had started 



