MAESH WARBLER 



habited by various species, and seeing a male highly excited 

 whilst following in the wake of a female, we carefully note the 

 extent of its territory with the intention of re-visiting the spot 

 at a later date. A month passes by and in that same territory 

 we find a nest containing well developed young. By removing 

 one of them and allowing it to nutter about on the ground, 

 we find that we thereby produce in the parent birds an 

 excitement approaching in intensity that which we noted a 

 few weeks previously. Now such uniformity of response can 

 be observed with little difficulty. If a male behaves con- 

 sistently in an extravagant manner in the presence of a 

 female, we may look with some confidence for extravagance 

 in its behaviour at the excited assemblies of the males, or in 

 the behaviour of both sexes, when the nest or young are 

 intruded upon. The Blackcap and the two Whitethroats are 

 extravagant in their actions during sexual activity, whilst 

 under the influence of parental emotion, or when excited at 

 the presence of a neighbouring individual of the same species, 

 and they may be said to represent the one extreme, i.e., the 

 highest type of such behaviour ; whilst the Beed and Sedge 

 Warblers represent the other, the visible response being much 

 less marked in their case. Between these two extremes 

 ranges the motor expression of other members of the group. 

 Approaching most nearly the degree of extravagance attained 

 by the Blackcap or Whitethroat is the behaviour of the Grass- 

 hopper and Savi's Warbler, and perhaps on a level by itself is 

 that of the Garden Warbler. Next in order we might place 

 the reactions of the Chiff-chaff, Wood and Willow Warblers, 

 leaving those of the Marsh Warbler midway between these 

 three latter species and the comparatively unresponsive be- 

 haviour of the Beed Warbler. But in studying so elusive a 

 subject as the emotions we have many difficulties to con- 

 tend with, and the advisability of even attempting to allot a 

 definite position in a hypothetical scale to this or to that 

 species may be quite rightly called in question. The foregoing 

 scale must consequently be regarded as an initial attempt 



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