BLACKCAP 



Until a female arrives in his territory, the male spends 

 much of his time in song. He makes use of a particular 

 branch upon a particular tree, perched upon which he, morn- 

 ing after morning, pours out his song or preens his feathers. 

 This branch may be called the headquarters of his territory, 

 and I have noticed that it is sometimes a conspicuous one, 

 projecting from the other branches, from which a clear view 

 of the surrounding neighbourhood can be obtained. In 

 order to see how invariably he makes use of it, it is only 

 necessary to remain in hiding a short time somewhere close 

 at hand. He leaves it when searching for food, or attacking 

 another male, but, after finishing whatever active task he 

 may be engaged in, he will return without much delay. After 

 a female has arrived and mating has taken place, he seems to 

 attach less importance to the branch, transferring his head- 

 quarters to the nest. 



I once saw a male, almost the first I had noticed that 

 year, flying excitedly from tree to tree carrying a piece of dead 

 cow-parsnip {Heracleuvi sjphondylmm) in his bill. I should 

 not attach much importance to such an isolated action, had 

 I not seen a similar occurrence in the case of another species, 

 the Whitethroat ; which makes me inclined to think that our 

 knowledge is defective, and that such actions may not be of 

 uncommon occurrence. There is little doubt that it is in some 

 way connected with the well-known and unexplained habit, 

 found amongst the males of many species, while courting, of 

 picking up and carrying some piece of dead vegetation in 

 their bills ; but in these two specific instances no females had 

 arrived. Such actions may be an outward sign only of the 

 one absorbing feature of the bird's existence at this time, 

 the redeuntio amoiis, a feature in which the construction of 

 the nest forms an important part, but it is also possible that 

 there may be a deeper meaning attached to them, and that 

 they may have preceded, in the course of development, the 

 construction of the nest. 



The females commence to arrive about the middle of April, 



