XX INTRODUCTION. 



tion generally, since anger or even fear will often cause 

 the bird to put itself into courting posture. Similarly 

 also birds will sing at times through anger or fear. 



It must be remembered what we call singing in birds 

 is to a certain extent an arbitrary term, meaning simply 

 a sound that we ourselves like. It is a commonplace 

 of moralists that beautiful birds do not generally sing, 

 but examination of the facts will show that the most 

 brilliant birds generally belong to families none of which 

 sing ; thus the Partridge does not sing any more than 

 the Peacock ; while the singing birds generally belong 

 to a group in which no species is brightly coloured, 

 such as the Skylark. Where a bright-coloured species 

 belongs to a singing group the power of song may be 

 present in addition to brilliant colouration. Thus the 

 American Red Cardinal {Cardinalis cardinalis), perhaps 

 the showiest of all finches, has long been known as the 

 Virginian Nightingale. 



The nesting arrangements of birds vary a great deal. 

 The eggs may be simply laid on the bare ground or rock, 

 as by the Nightjar or Guillemot ; or a nest of varying 

 elaborateness may be built, the most wonderful, perhaps, 

 being the beautifully woven structures of the Weaver- 

 birds. The elaborateness of the nest does not depend 

 upon the clumsiness or otherwise of the bird, as has been 

 stated. Parrots, for example, do not usually build nests, 

 but breed in holes ; but this is not because they are 

 clumsy, because the only nest-building Parrot, the Grey- 

 breasted or Quaker Parrakeet {Myopsittacus monachus), 

 builds a very elaborate structure of twigs. The clum- 

 sily-shaped Broadbills {EttrylcBmince) also build elaborate 

 nests. The Parrakeet above-mentioned builds a com- 

 munistic nest, several pairs uniting to build a structure 

 with several rooms, and this principle is further carried 

 out by the well-known Social Weaver-bird [PhiletcBrus 

 socius) of Africa. Many birds, such as Bee-eaters, 

 and some Parrots, are burrowers, and these do not line 



