ioo JOTTINGS ABOUT BIRDS. 



escapes them until love rivalry begins, and silently 

 they may be watched for days skipping about the 

 branches apparently with no sexual instincts what- 

 ever. How wonderful is the change, though, as 

 soon as the hens arrive. A burst of passionate song 

 greets their appearance, music indescribably beautiful, 

 which continues from the middle of April until the 

 end of July. The same remarks apply exactly to 

 the Chiffchaff and the Wood Wren. 



The third series of examples shall be taken from 

 birds that are resident in our islands, and whose 

 song is more or less perennial. These perennial 

 songs might naturally be thought to be fatal to 

 our views concerning the universality of love- 

 inspired music. But when we come to study the 

 habits of the species uttering them, we shall find 

 that there is nothing abnormal about them. The 

 three most remarkable perennial songsters are the 

 Robin, the Wren, and the Hedge Accentor. All 

 these birds regain their voice after the autumn 

 moult is over, and their song is particularly charming 

 in the autumn, a season which is not remarkable for 

 nest-building. The explanation is a simple one. 

 From what I have observed during a period of 

 many years, and in widely different localities, I can 

 state with confidence that these birds pair in the 



