WHITETHROAT 
sometimes swerving upwards towards a branch in an opposite 
tree, he momentarily settles upon it, rapidly turns round, and 
again precipitates himself towards the same spot, and this 
he may do a few times in succession, always, however, utilising 
the same branches in the respective trees to settle upon. 
The whole performance is most peculiar, and gives him a 
very clumsy appearance, but being so quickly executed it is 
difficult to describe. How he prevents a collision is sur- 
prising, for he often approaches the female so closely that 
it seems well-nigh impossible for him to swerve away in time. 
This peculiar and characteristic flight is performed not 
only on the first arrival of a female, but occurs throughout 
the period of sexual activity, though becoming of less and 
less frequent occurrence as the days pass by. Instances of 
it can be seen even as late as the latter part of June, and 
may be due to a recurrence of sexual activity before a second 
brood. It does not seem to me probable that the male has 
any direct motive in thus performing, but his actions and his 
flight, although belonging to the same category as all other 
weird movements of the wings and body which are common 
to many species at this period, are so peculiar that they would 
well merit further investigation. At the same time they are 
so uniform throughout the species that it is doubtful whether 
a male could be found which, under the same appropriate 
circumstances, did not act in a similar manner. The actions 
of the female give us little or no clue as to whether the per- 
formance is distasteful to her, for they could with as much 
truth be interpreted as expressions of pleasure or disapproval ; 
yet it is not easy to see what pleasure she can possibly derive 
from it. The same quiet fluttering of the wings which 
occurs at other periods is often conspicuous, and when the 
male actually precipitates himself on to her, she receives 
him as one would expect her to receive an attack; in fact, 
her method is very similar to the manner in which she does 
actually receive the attack when fighting with another female ; 
the tail is spread, wings extended, and as he approaches she 
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