122 



The Irish Naturalist. 



October, 



and with the geographical position. Thus residual summer 

 song here may be normal song in S.E. England. 



My propositions may be incorrect or at any rate very 

 incomplete, but we are more likely to get at the truth by 

 putting up some theory for criticism. 



Taking residual summer song first, the first of what I 

 may call abnormal song that we meet with is the lengthening 

 of -the normal period of spring song in the case of such 

 males as find it difficult to get a mate. This song, as I 

 have previously shewn, is a big thing (with us at least). 

 It dwindles off as mates may be obtained, but some still 

 may remain to be synchronous with the males of early 

 broods re-starting to sing. This new song may be residual 

 in one species and not in another, as in the Chaffinch and 

 Greenfinch respectively ; or it may be residual here but 

 not so in south-eastern England where another brood is 

 normal, as is apparently the case with Blackbirds and 

 Thrushes, and Hedge Sparrows. I have above described 

 our Chaffinch residual song at the beginning of June. 

 South-eastern England seems to last a month longer and 

 to have another brood. With the Greenfinch there is a 

 new very large quantity of song here from mid- June through 

 most of July followed by a lot of new nests in the beginning 

 of July, and though a great many singers must remain 

 mateless yet this song may in general be called normal. 

 England has later song and more broods. Of the multitude 

 of Yellowhammers singing here in July and lessening in 

 the first half of August, very few appear to nest. Their 

 summer song is therefore mainly residual. While the 

 female Whitethroat is finishing the final feeding of its 

 young in the hedges, the male may re-start to sing and court 

 her, but she pays no attention. And as I have shewn in 

 a previous article some of the long mateless males may be 

 still singing up to now (and thus become synchronous with 

 the former) and get a mate at the end of June, but such 

 broods are few. The same exactly applies to the Willow 

 Wrens at the end of June, but there is, as far as I know, 

 no fresh breeding here, though there seems some temporary 

 pairing. In England there is earlier hatching and later 

 song and second brooding. 



