80 BRITISH BIRDS. 



saw male and female Blackcaps in company. Doubtless 

 these birds, and many others, mate for life, or at any rate for 

 long periods. The length of their partnership will, apart from 

 accidents, depend on the degree of "faithfulness" which 

 either bird exhibits for the other, and this faithfulness will 

 naturally depend on the degree of continued fascination 

 which either bird can command over the other. Their charms 

 will, therefore, not necessarily be limited to the breeding season. 

 For instance, on the Riviera last winter Blackcaps were in full 

 song during the whole of the winter months. From October 

 until June, when I left for England, this song continued 

 uninterruptedly every day through one of the coldest winters 

 which has been experienced on the Riviera for years. My 

 diary contains several notes to this effect: e.g., " Nov. 23rd. 

 Still more Blackcaps in the garden. They sing all the 

 morning, especially when it is warm and raining." " Dec. 

 1st. Blackcaps singing here every morning to the full 

 extent of their powers." " Dec. 25th. Blackcaps still in full 

 song." What then were these Blackcaps singing for ? Surely 

 we may presume that it was to convince the hen bird what 

 fine fellows they still were, and to prevent her running off 

 with some other male. Resident birds do not breed until 

 April. 



Chiff chaffs also sang throughout the winter. Their song 

 consisted for the most part of four notes, and could be 

 rendered — chiff-chiff-chaff-chiff, the second note rising high. 



With regard to the "high-pitched squealing notes " you 

 refer to as uttered by the male Blackcap during the breeding 

 season on the arrival of the female, the following extract from 

 my diary while at Madeira in December, 1905, may be 

 interesting in reference to the great difference in the time of 

 the breeding season between the Madeira and the European 

 bird : — 



" December 20th. The public gardens are swarming with 

 Blackcaps (S. atricapilla obscura). They were flying about 

 among the magnolias, hibiscus and tree begonias. Besides 

 the ordinary harsh, grating, alarm note, the air was full of their 

 peculiar squeaking, half whining plaintive calls, evidently a 

 sign of the approaching nesting season." 



During my stay I obtained a living example of the peculiar 

 melanistic variety of the Madeira Blackcap (S. heinekeni). We 

 kept this bird alive for nearly two years, and it sang, except 

 when moulting, practically continuously throughout the year. 

 Its song differed from the usual one of the Blackcap by 

 beginning with an exceedingly sweet and low gazouillement, 



