COURTSHIP OF THE REDSHANK, 653 



instead of leading the cock a long chase, as in the Welsh 

 birds. 



3. Sometimes directly after pairing there was a curious set 

 run or antic of the couple, e.g. (p. 206) :— " Two Redshanks, 

 after pairing, run, in an excited and cui'ious-looking manner, 

 over the sand, following one another." Another time (p. 204), 

 (in perhaps slightly different circumstances) : — " the birds walked, 

 for a little, about and very near each other, fanning out their 

 tails, whilst bending them inwards, so that, had their legs been 

 short, they would have swept the ground at intervals, as does 

 that of the courting pigeon." 



4. He sometimes saw a male which had been definitely rejected 

 begin courting the same female again after a short time, once or 

 twice successfully ; I never saw this happen. (This is presumably 

 an error of omission on my part.) 



These are the chief differences. His observations on the 

 second and third stages and on the pairing itself are very similar 

 to mine. 



The differences may be ascribed either to real differences of 

 behavioiu' of Totanus calidris in different parts of its range, or 

 to errors or omissions of observation. Further watching alone 

 will reveal the truth. 



Further watching too must elucidate the following points, all 

 of which ought to be known before a full discussion of the facts 

 and of their bearing on the theory of sexual selection can take 

 place : — 



1 . How often does each bird go through the act of pairing ? 



2. Is pairing promiscuous, or do birds pair for the season, or 



for life ? 



3. What is the relation between pairing and nest-building, 



and between pairing and each act of oviposition ? 



4. When does pairing begin in the spring, and for how long 



is it continued ? 



5. What is the relation of the love-flight, the combats, and 



the calling from a perch, to the courtship proper ? 



6. Does the female, who possesses all the structures used by 



the male in his display, ever use them herself for "showing 

 off," or for any other purpose (recognition signals, etc.) ? 



With regard to 1, it is interesting to note that when the air 

 was calm the Nightjar-like note described above (p. 649) could 

 be heard at every hour of the night and day ; on some nights 

 there were one or more birds giving utterance to -it practically 

 all the time that I was listening. Now I am prepared to assert 

 that this call is only used during the second stage of the court- 

 ship, so that the number of courtships which advanced as far 

 as the second stage must have been very great (yet less than the 

 number of those which never reached the second stage at all ; 

 c/.p. 651.) 



