The Whinchcit as a Song-Bird.



103



THE WHINCHAT AS A SONG-BIRD.


By W. E. Teschemaker, B.A.


I am told that there is a corner which wants filling in the

prospective number of the Magazine, so I am writing a few further

notes on the young male Whinchat which I kept for further obser¬

vation out of the happy family of five reared in the aviary last

summer. As I think I remarked recently, it is unfortunate that

we are compelled by our Rules to exclude from articles describing

the nesting of species all data as to the change of colour and the

subsequent history of the young reared, although the latter data

may be of even greater interest. Of course one can send supple¬

mentary notes, but these form only disconnected observations, losing

their context, their freshness and much of their interest.


I kept the young Whinchat for some time after the moult in

a cage in the sitting-room. I like to see birds in their proper places,

that is to say either in an aviary or in the bird-room ; at the same

time it is sometimes necessary to have a bird under constant obser¬

vation, and it is nice to have just one singing bird downstairs, so I

find room for this one cage—a home-made, three-compartment affair

—in my sitting-room. The Shama occupied two compartments and

the Whinchat the remaining one. I did not think much of the

Whinchat’s song at first : it was low-pitched, somewhat throaty,

and had some very unmusical passages, which reminded one of the

scolding notes of a Whitethroat, but it gradually increased in volume

and began to borrow some of the Shama’s tours. Then the Shama,

who up to this time had taken no notice of the Whinchat’s vocal

efforts, tried to silence his rival, whereupon the latter redoubled his

efforts, and the result was a tremendous vocal contest which generally

lasted from early morning until the lamps were lighted. Just at this

interesting stage two Blue-throated Warblers in the aviary began to

fight and I was compelled to bring one in and to turn the Whinchat

out, in order to make room for it.


Now, although the Whinchat’s new quarters consisted of a

heated aviary where some Wheatears, Blue-headed Wagtails, etc.

were doing well, he almost at once began to fail. One always takes

a risk when one shifts a bird which has got into a particular groove



