February Singers 9 



Dutch barge, now displays a subtly marked grada- 

 tion between his sooty head and smoky-clouded back; 

 with the sharp contrast of the bare white plate on his 

 forehead the seat of his proverbial baldness he 

 is far from an ugly or uninteresting bird. There is 

 a like delicate contrast of grey and olive-brown 

 in the moorhen's plumage, and of other browns 

 and greys in that of the hedge-sparrow. Yet the 

 hedge-sparrow, at any rate, is often regarded as a 

 very Cinderella among fowl. 



St. Valentine's Day has been fixed by popular 

 tradition as an appropriate date on which the birds 

 are supposed to mate ; and it is true that by the 

 end of the second week in February there is already 

 a visible tendency for the winter flocks, formed by 

 many species, to break up, and for the birds to 

 settle down in pairs. But the date is no absolute 

 one, nor even very representative ; it is too early 

 for the central moment in the mating season, and 

 not early enough to mark its beginning. Not only is 

 there a considerable difference in the pairing time of 

 different kinds of birds, but the date varies greatly 

 among individuals of the same species. It is 

 determined by the character of the season and the 

 success with which each cock has been able to 

 secure and retain a spot well provided with food 

 and suited to the nesting habits of its kind. On 

 the whole, it is a mild winter and an early spring 

 which tempt the birds to pair and nest the soonest. 

 Yet their song, which is so essential a feature of 

 the breeding season, seems often to be evoked more 

 by the increase of light than of warmth. There is 



