BLACKCAP 



down, it is difficult to see why the young, when they have so 

 many more opportunities of hearing other species in preference 

 to their own, should sing true to type at all. If it is, there- 

 fore, true that in a large number of instances the song could 

 not have been passed on from parent to offspring, it is a for- 

 tiori true of the imitations which are so essentially a part of 

 the song. 



(4) It may seem out of place to allude to emulation under 

 the heading of song, forming, as it does, a small part of a 

 much larger question ; but since it has been remarked upon 

 in connection with this species, a brief allusion to it is 

 necessary. 



It is no uncommon sight to see the male Blackcaps and 

 Garden- Warblers engaged apparently in a singing contest. 

 They settle within a few yards of one another, and exert 

 themselves to the utmost in simultaneously producing sounds^ 

 which are by no means always tuneful. The same scenes 

 occur between Nightingales and Blackcaps, and even between 

 the three species, Blackcaps, Nightingales, and Garden- 

 Warblers. At such times a Nightingale, while singing 

 hurriedly, will pursue a Blackcap. This action may be inter- 

 preted as the result of a jealous rivalry, but when we see 

 how prone the Blackcap is to excitement, resulting in the 

 curious assemblies previously referred to, and the similarity 

 of his song, no matter how different the cause of the excite- 

 ment may be, we must not be too hasty in assuming that an 

 intelligent appreciation of his powers is in any way connected 

 with it. 



Their food is a mixture of various fruits and insects. On 

 their arrival in the spring they subsist principally upon the 

 berries of the common climbing ivy (Heeler a helix), and their 

 bills and throats are often stained with the black juice. They 

 swallow six or more at a time, large and small, and it is sur- 

 prising how very large a berry they are capable of swallowing 



35 



