190 TERRITORY AND REPRODUCTION 



that the boundaries were to cease to exist, and 

 that the birds were free to wander at will 

 without fear of molestation, the end for which 

 the territory had been evolved would none the 

 less have been obtained ; for inasmuch as the 

 parents are accompanied by their young, it 

 matters not in what part of the meadow they 

 seek their food ; all that matters is that the 

 number of families shall not exceed the available 

 supply of food. So far, then, as the Lapwing is 

 concerned, the territory fulfils its purpose when 

 once it limits the number of males, since, by 

 doing so, it limits the number of families and 

 prevents undue pressure upon the means of 

 support. 



Nevertheless, there are many birds that 

 seem to rely entirely upon the territory to 

 supply them with all that is necessary. Each 

 Warbler seeks its food within the precincts 

 of its own particular domain, and, except in 

 occasional instances, neither resorts to neutral 

 ground nor makes excursions into the locality 

 immediately surrounding the territory, as does 

 the Bunting. Probably it would be disastrous 

 if it attempted to do so, for since its young 

 at birth are so delicate and so susceptible to 

 changes of temperature, it cannot afford to 

 be absent from them for long. Of the two 

 experiments made with young Whitethroats, 

 one was made under favourable and the other 

 under unfavourable conditions. In this latter 

 case the temperature was 50 F., and the young, 

 it may be remembered, only survived for a 



