BRITISH WARBLERS 



As the time passes by and sexual activity wanes, so the expres- 

 sion of the emotion subsides, until it finally disappears when the 

 full complement of eggs is laid, except in the case of polygamy 

 or a second brood. Let this, however, be noted, that it is not 

 of uncommon occurrence even after the nest is completed and 

 the first few eggs are deposited. When in the case of adjoin- 

 ing territories a female arrives in one of them while the owner 

 of the other is still unpaired, and when, as is often the case, 

 she is inclined for a while to overstep the boundaries of the 

 territory in which she has settled, the male on to whose 

 ground she wanders becomes excited, and may even commence 

 wing-flapping. I recollect a case of this description which 

 was interesting merely if we regard the actions as of direct 

 biological significance, and as appealing to the female accord- 

 ing to the degree in which they are executed, for it was 

 evident that the more demonstrative male was rejected. The 

 female in this particular case wandered from the territory 

 in which she had settled, and from her mate who was showing 

 little excitement, into an adjoining one, and was confronted by 

 the owner who was apparently under the influence of sexual 

 emotion. There she remained for a short time, while he 

 displayed the usual signs of excitement, included in which 

 was considerable and vigorous wing-flapping ; eventually she 

 returned to her undemonstrative husband. To such an 

 episode I attach but little importance. The sexual instinct 

 must vary in the same individual from day to day and even 

 from hour to hour, and the corresponding emotion must vary 

 with it. Incidents of this kind are therefore no more than 

 we should anticipate under the circumstances. 



Of four adjoining territories, which I had under observation 

 one season, the behaviour of the inmates of one, which I 

 marked as No. 2 on the rough plan made at the time, was so 

 interesting that I offer no apology for describing it in detail, 

 though it entails a repetition of some of the features in the 

 life-history already mentioned. All three territories were 

 situated upon a long wooded bank divided by a public foot- 



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