30 DISPOSITION TO SECURE A TERRITORY 



or even more. But these periodical desertions 

 become progressively less and less frequent in 

 occurrence until the whole of its life is spent 

 in the few acres in which it has established 

 itself. 



The behaviour of the Yellow Bunting is 

 similar. In any roadside hedge two or more 

 males can generally be found within a short 

 distance of one another, and in such a place 

 their movements can be closely and conveniently 

 followed. Under normal conditions the ordinary 

 winter routine continues until early in February ; 

 but the male then deserts the flock, seeks a 

 position of its own, and becomes isolated from 

 its companions. Now the position which it 

 selects does not, as a rule, embrace a very large 

 area — a few acres perhaps at the most. But 

 there is always some one point which is singled 

 out and resorted to with marked frequency — a 

 tree, a bush, a gate-post, a railing, anything in 

 fact which can form a convenient perch, and 

 eventually it becomes a central part of the 

 bird's environment. Here it spends the greater 

 part of its time, here it utters its song persistently, 

 and here it keeps watch upon intruders. The 

 process of establishment is nevertheless a 

 gradual one. The male does not appear in its 

 few acres suddenly and remain there permanently 

 as does the migrant ; at first it may not even 

 roost in the prospective territory. The course 

 of procedure is somewhat as follows : — At dawn 

 it arrives and for a while utters its song, preens 

 its feathers, or searches for food ; then it vanishes, 



