OFFICIAL NOTICES, &c. 
59 
your readers to hear that on the morning of Friday, February 27th, I found in a 
warm sunny bow window a beautiful specimen of the peacock butterfly. Is not 
this an unusually early date ? Katharine Whitaker. 
Hinton, Twyford, Berks. 
[Gilbert White, in the Naturalist's Calendar, gives March 6th as the earliest 
date for this butterfly. Markwick gives February 13th. In the useful Naturalist's 
Diary, by Mr. C. Roberts, January 13th is given as the earliest, March 13th as 
the average time of appearance. In an interesting Calendar of the Months, ex- 
tracted from the Diary of T. Forster, M.B., F.L.S. (1777-1827), the peacock 
butterfly is recorded as having been seen on March 19th. This Calendar is appear- 
ing in the Field Club for this year.] 
Mating 1 of Tom-tits, &c. — In Nature Notes of October last 
“ N. S. W.” asks if tom-tits keep to the same mate. There has been no answer, 
so far, to the question. I should like to extend it, and ask if any, and if so, if 
many of our wild birds keep to the same mate? J. WINTER. 
[Of course all birds of which both the sexes repair to the same place to nest 
each year must pair for life. What has to be proved is that the cock as well as 
the hen bird returns. We believe that the following rule will, with certain excep- 
tions, be found to hold good — -that birds which nest in exactly the same spot every 
year pair for life. This has been proved in the case of the chimney-swallow, and 
we have no doubt whatever that house martins, sand martins, swifts, tom-tits, fly- 
catchers, red-starts, wagtails, starlings, and many others keep to the same mate. 
It is well known that the raven does so, and it is probably the case with most of 
the others of the crow tribe. — A. E.] 
The Courtship and Songs of Birds (Answer to “ St. Paul’s ”). — There 
can be but little doubt that many monogamous birds fall in love, and take as 
much trouble about it, too, as many human beings. A familiar example of per- 
sistence in courtship is that of the accentor or hedge sparrow, whose love-making 
is of a prolonged description. Birds that pair for life must feel a constant affec- 
tion for their mates, and this is sometimes apparent to us when one of them is 
killed or wounded. As to their songs, when we remember that most birds only 
sing during the love-making season and cease as soon as the young are hatched, 
we shall probably not be wrong in calling them love-songs, though naturalists are 
not agreed as to whether they are love-songs of a tender kind or of defiance to 
rivals, or of a combination of the two. The whole subject is a verv large one. 
Much valuable information will be found in The Descent of I/an (Darwin), and 
in Darwinism, by Dr. Wallace. — A. E. 
Number of Eggs laid by the Swift. —Dr. Edward Hamilton, in the 
Riverside Naturalist, says that the swift lays from two 10 four eggs, and Gilbert 
White, in The Natural History of Selborne, says that they invariably lay two. 
Which is correct ? Flycatcher. 
[We believe that Gilbert White is correct ; we do not know of more than one 
instance of a swift laying more than two eggs, and in this case the bird laid three. 
It is possible that a mistake might arise from two birds laying very close to each 
other. — A.E.] 
OFFICIAL NOTICES; WORK OF BRANCHES, &c. 
The object of the Selborne Society is to unite lovers of Nature for the follow- 
ing purposes : — 
The Prevention from unnecessary destruction of Wild Birds, Animals and 
Plants ; 
The Protection of places and objects of Antiquarian Interest or Natural 
Beauty ; 
The Promotion of the Study of Natural History. 
The minimum Annual Subscription (which entitles the subscriber to a 
monthly copy of the Society’s Magazine) is 2s. 6d. 
All particulars as to membership may be obtained from the Secretary of the 
Selborne Society, 9, Adam Street, Adelphi. 
