ORNITHOLOGICAL OBSERVATION IN ICELAND. 67 



distinguish between them. It is the ordinary sexual interplay, 

 even though the order of it be reversed. In the light of the 

 above observations I see no reason to read a peck into the 

 actions of that bird which, a little while before, pressed upon 

 another in a very similar manner.* Is it, however, certain that 

 these activities are of an amorous nature ? May they not be 

 bellicose and represent either an approaching or, at least, at 

 any moment, possible combat between two males or two females, 

 or else those peculiar formal movements into which, in many 

 cases, warfare with birds is apt to degenerate ? As to this I can 

 only say that the general character of the movements was more 

 suggestive of amativeness than of combativeness. It is some- 

 what curious, however, if the birds, when thus pressing on one 

 another, were actuated by sexual desire, that that curious 

 whirligig motion which is generally understood to be the court- 

 ing display, par excellence, was not to be seen amongst them. 

 Why, in that case, was it not called into play ? Perhaps we 

 have here an antic which is only beginning to come into fashion, 

 and is as yet confined to a minority of individuals. This may 

 be possible, but it cannot certainly be said that the antic itself is 

 only in course of development, for nothing could have been more 

 pronounced and finished than what I saw, albeit that it struck 

 me as pathological. Say, however, that this is a false view, yet 

 it was altogether wanting in certain characters so strongly 

 impressed upon the true actions of sexual display, in birds, that, 

 once seen, it must ever afterwards be either instantly recognised, 

 or, as instantly, missed. 



June 20th. — To-day, having marked down the nest of a 

 Whimbrel, I watched the bird on to it. This was in the morn- 

 ing. Coming again to my post of observation at about four in 

 the afternoon, the bird, as I approached it (though I was by no 

 means near) flew off the nest in quite an ordinary way, and, 

 alighting at some hundred yards or so away from it, uttered, 

 from time to time, its plaintive " wit-ty, wit-ty, wit-ty, wit-ty, 

 wit-ty, wit-ty, wit-ty, wit-ty," for it ended now with "wit-ty," as 

 throughout, not on the first syllable "wit." In quite a short 

 time — less than ten minutes I should say — he (I afterwards con- 

 cluded that this was the male) began to walk back to the nest. 



* Sec p. 64. 



