84 



THE OOLOGIST. 



porch, each .spring coming back to the 

 same place and adding to, and bnilding 

 upon their former nest. I became 

 intimately acquainted with these two 

 birds and know thej' were the same 

 ones each year. Now, if these robins 

 remained continuallj" mated for four 

 years, why not for life; and if robins, 

 then, why not other birds? 



Again, it is a highly significant fact 

 that <nu- winter visitants from the 

 North (those that are non-gregarious) 

 almost always appear in pairs. As 

 examples of tiiis, we have the North- 

 ern Shrike and Snowy Owl, which, in 

 this localitj- at least, almost always 

 appear in pairs; and when we remem- 

 ber this fact, as well as the fact that a 

 pair of Flickers have not infrequently 

 been known to jointly excavate, in 

 midwinter, cavities for roosting phxces, 

 the question at least asserts itself — if 

 mated only for a season, then Avhy 

 these mutual interests in midwinter? 

 ^ Finally, let us have a few observa- 

 tions from Abbott, which can be ex- 

 plained onlj' (m grounds of pcrnia- 

 nent mating. Hh says: 



"A pair of Cardinal Grosbeaks were 

 found nesting, June, iHi-^o, and the fe- 

 male was readily distinguished by a 

 peculiarity in the coloring of her wings. 

 The pair remained in the loeality during 

 the succeeding winter, nested in the old 

 site in 1§84, and in 1885 ehose a new 

 position in a thicket of smilax a few 

 yards distant. This jjair of redbirds 

 were always associated during the two 

 winters that I had them xuider observa- 

 tion." 



"Meadow-larks, if not in loose liocks, 

 as though tA\"() or three Ijroods were 

 united, are always in j.)airs, and there 

 is every appearance of tlieir close com- 

 panionship during the winter. I have 

 hundreds of references, in my note- 

 books, to single pairs frequenting cer- 

 tain iiekls the year through." 



"Tiie familiar little Sparrow-hawk 

 linally offers a striking instance of per- 

 manent bird man-iage. A pair of these 

 pretty faleons have for live years nested 

 near the residence of my neighbor, and 

 when the lalior of rearing tiieir young- 

 was ended, they retired to the shelter 

 afforded by the projecting eaves of my 



neighbor's house and there remained 

 until the following spring. These birds 

 were quite as affectionate and mutually 

 considerate in winter, as when they 

 had the c(jmmon interest of otts])ring 

 to keep them together." 



Now one objection may arise. If 

 birds are permanently mated, why do 

 they not migrate together and why do 

 not males and females arrive simultan- 

 eously in the spring? 



This is perhaps the most serious ob- 

 jection, but we have only to watch 

 carefully these self-same migrants to 

 become more and more convinced of 

 their life-partnership. It is, indeed, 

 hard to realize that many of these birds 

 should remain together for so long a 

 time, when but a small part of each 

 year is spent in the rearing of the 

 brood. It is quite possible that they do 

 not retire to other portions of our 

 country in company; but it does appeal" 

 that they part with a mutual under 

 standing to meet again when separa- 

 tions do t;ike place. It is not simply 

 the same male Inrd or the same female 

 that reap])ears spring after spring, i)ut 

 the same pair of birds. 



Of course, every good rule has its 

 exceptions; and I would make the 

 exceptions to the rule of permanent 

 mating, certain polygamous and pol- 

 yandrious birds as the English Sparrow 

 and s(nne others; antl certain game 

 birds which are subject to great perse- 

 cution, and where" the chances are 

 against b(jth parents surviving until the 

 following breeding season. 



And now in conclusion let me ask the 

 question Avhich I hinted at the begin- 

 ning. What proofs have we for believ- 

 ing, (U- Avhat reasons for thinking that 

 birds matej'carly or more than onceV 

 Neil F. Posson, 



A Cunning Blue Jay. 



Not many years ago, while I was 

 stopping in a small Kansas town, I had 

 occasion to witness a very laughal^le 



