324 Recent Literature. [f£* 



(Auk, XXV, 1908, pp. 339, 340). The greater part of the present issue is 

 devoted to the Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) , to which are devoted 36 pages 

 of the text, a colored plate of male and female, 8 full-page photogravures, 

 depicting the male in various attitudes, and maps showing its summer and 

 winter distribution. A colored plate and two pages of text are given 

 respectively to Pallas's Warbler and Radde's Bush- Warbler, for each of 

 which there is apparently only a single British record. There is also a 

 photogravure of the female of the Chiff-chaff, and two maps showing the 

 summer and winter distribution of the Garden Warbler. The method of 

 treatment and the general character of the work have already been de- 

 scribed in our notice of Parts I and II, to which the character of the present 

 part strictly conforms. 



The opening paragraph of the 'Life History' of the Blackcap states: 

 "There are many facts in the life of this bird which are good examples of 

 the contradictory nature of the evidence a naturalist often has to face, and 

 this makes the character of the species an unusually interesting one." 

 And we find some thirty pages are given to an elucidation of its traits dur- 

 ing its summer sojourn in the British Islands — from the first arrival of 

 the males in spring till the departure of the species in autumn. Special 

 attention is given to the activities of the male, so noteworthy for its powers 

 of song, its energy, excitability, and "bodily and vocal antics." In dis- 

 cussing the part played by the vocal powers of the male in courtship, he 

 again (see Parts I and II) reverts to the theory of sexual selection, for 

 which his observations fail to give convincing support. He says: "Until 

 the females arrive the males usually sing their true song, but occasionally, 

 especially when excited, imitate other species. Upon the arrival of the 

 females a change takes place, and excitement is at its highest point, with 

 the result that the true song is so far forgotten that, especially during that 

 part of the courtship when the male is close to the female, high-pitched 

 squealing notes, together with imitations, are almost solely produced, and 

 often for a considerable time without a pause. Now let us see how the 

 males behave under the influence of a different kind of excitement. Re- 

 move a young one from the nest, when old enough to recognize and reply 

 to its parents, and notice the effect produced. The male approaches within 

 a few yards of you, twists and turns on the branches, or flutters and flaps 

 along the ground, uttering short snatches of its song identically the same 

 as when courting, but more often squealing and imitating other species. 

 Here, then, we have a species which performs, not only during the period 

 of courtship, but also at other periods of excitement in its life, a remarkable 

 series of both bodily and, if I may use the term, vocal antics. We cannot 

 disregard these facts. If the song has really been developed owing to the 

 females showing a greater preference for the males with the more highly 

 developed vocal powers, is it not a little curious that, during the courtship, 

 the true song should be so far forgotten that the males, in their great excite- 

 ment, indulge in a medley of imitations of the songs and call-notes of ^dien 

 species? 



