148 Huxley, Bird-watching and Biological Science. [ April 



behavior of a single species ^ and more weeks trying to think out 

 the meaning of my observations, that there came to me the point 

 of view — a combination of the evolutionary, the psychological, 

 and the physiological — which made that statement possible. It 

 was forced upon me by the facts I saw; and those who wish to 

 penetrate into those arcana and mysteries of science where the 

 beginnings of Consciousness are being shaped and added to Life 

 cannot do better than observe the behavior of a single species of 

 wild bird or mammal, and, having observed, try to understand. 



But this is a digression. Let us return to our consideration of 

 the question of courtship. First and foremost comes the need for 

 facts. It is important for the professional biologist to have many 

 new facts. To get these he must turn to the naturalist and the 

 bird-watcher; and for these latter it is enormously important to 

 have the old facts summarized and correlated into principles, for 

 otherwise they will be unconsciously biased by preconceived no- 

 tions. In such questions as these of sex-relations, we tend to have 

 an unconsciously-held theory of our own, based upon every-day 

 experience of our own species and of domestic animals; and not 

 merely that, but since the questions are in Man associated with 

 morality, we tend to see what we want to see, even in animals. 



Our first duty as scientific observers is to try to get a clear idea 

 of the usual sequence of events. The majority of birds are mo- 

 nogamous, and among them the majority again pair for the season, 

 the two members of the pair separating during the autumn and 

 winter, and pairing again, usually with new mates, before the next 

 breeding season. Such species can then be considered typical, 

 and we will begin by describing what may be called the " Annual 

 Love-History" of such a species. 



The pairing-up occurs remarkably early, often months before 

 any eggs are laid. St. Valentine's Day is the traditional day for 

 birds to pair; but in many species pairing-up may occur before 

 this. Then follows a long period before consummation — a true 

 engagement — in which the pair is constantly together and various 

 displays by one or both of the sexes take place. Later, well on in 

 the spring, comes the true marriage, when sexual consummation 



> Huxley ('14). 



