REPRODUCTION AND SEX 519 



panionship ; his experiments in nest-building may arouse her similar 

 activities; the sexual flights may increase intensity of sex-excite- 

 ment and reaction and make fertihsation eventually more secure; 

 posturing has probably a self-stimulating as well as mate-exciting 

 function; the improvement of the weather as the season advances 

 will intensify the reaction and break down the barrier to fertilisa- 

 tion ; even the postponement of a reaction may be pressed into the 

 service of the organism, for it may make for effective timing and 

 intensification. In short, "the actions of male and female combine 

 to form a harmonious whole, beautifully adapted to bring about 

 appropriate synchronisation of rhythms". 



The behaviour of birds at the breeding season may be physiologi- 

 cally described as "a neurally linked pattern of reactions for which 

 there is inherited structural provision". This is very much the same 

 as saying that the behaviour is the expression of concatenated reflex 

 actions, hereditarily determined. It must be admitted that these 

 chains of reflexes work very effectively, and they have a marked 

 imperativeness. Why, then, drag in mind? If it be answered that the 

 behaviour is so perfect that it is impossible not to credit the bird 

 with intelligent prevision, this common-sense argument from analogy 

 is somewhat countered by simple experiments which show that a 

 slight disturbance of routine may cause the creature to behave in 

 a way that looks exceedingly foolish, as when it broods persistently 

 on nothing. But Mr. Howard finds convincing evidence of mind in 

 the individual bird's establishment of territory. This is a mental 

 edifice reared upon three things — song, hostility, and area. In a 

 certain physiological state a male bird selects a territory that 

 influences or attracts him. From the very first there is a linkage of 

 the bodily excitement and the selected territory; there is heightened 

 perceptor activity and a deep and lasting impression is made upon 

 the bird's organisation. "And this impression is so linked with the 

 pattern of reactions that whenever there is recurrence of the terri- 

 tory situation there is excitation from within of the centres initially 

 stimulated from without and revival in the form of imagery. Hence 

 the trees A, B, D, H, K, S, are not only objective to his mind but 

 are susceptible of revival." 



It comes to this, that perception and reference reach a higher 

 level of activity when certain physiological changes are occurring. 

 The bird exercises dominion over his territory, but it also exercises 

 dominion over him. Thus from a distance out of sight, when feeding 

 near his mate or his rivals, he will suddenly make for his tree. 

 There is a revival in the form of imagery whenever there is a 

 return of the bodily commotion which primarily intensified the 

 bird's power of reference. Almost everything the bird does is 

 in reference to his territory ; it has a controlling guiding influence ; 

 a cognitive reference introduces a prospective factor; and this 



