JAN 27 1921 



THE IRISH NATURALIST. 



VOLUME XXX. 



THE RELATION OF SONG TO THE NESTING 

 OF BIRDS. 



BY J. P. BURKITT. 



The song of birds may have relation, perhaps, to a number 

 of things besides connubial life, but as the bulk of song is 

 in spring and early summer it is natural to expect and 

 investigate a relation to nesting. Song is not confined to 

 spring and early summer, and on that point I take the 

 liberty of quoting from two articles by Messrs. C. and H. 

 Alexander in " British Birds," May, 1908, and February, 

 191 T. These show the result of an enquiry over several 

 years as to what months in the year each song can be heard 

 in the S.E. of England. They do not deal with the relation 

 of song to connubial life. They note certain relations of 

 song to weather. 



What at once strikes a north of Ireland observer is the 

 amount of song which Messrs. Alexander seem to get over 

 there outside the " regular " period. It seems clear to me 

 that we here get nothing at all like it ; that song is much 

 more confined to the regular period. The Hedge Sparrow 

 there sings regularly from the second week in September 

 all through the winter, whereas I do not know of its song 

 here before the end of January or beginning of February. 

 Again, with them the Chiffchaff sings some in August and 

 regularly in September, whereas I might hear, perhaps, 

 one bird in August and never one in September. Their 



A 



