
Territory 
The boundaries of the male's territory appeared to be vaguely 
defined at first, perhaps because much of the land may be covered 
with water or even snow at that time. Few data were obtained dur- 
ing the period of pair formation, but once the female had commenced 
to incubate, it was evident that the territory was clearly defined. 
It was noticed that during the night, especially early in the breed~ 
ing cycle, there were times of great excitement involving two or 
more birds. It was suspected that the territory might be defended 
even in darkness. Experiments with the tape recorder showed that 
there was no response after the post-sunset winnowing period until 
the winnowing period before dawn. 
Primary requisites of a territory appear to be as follows: 
1. <A suitable nest site. 
2e A suitable area for the male's station.--The station is an 
area within the territory where the male spends an increasing amount 
of time as incubation advances. It is always at a distance from the 
nest - about 500 feet on the average - and usually in dense cover. 
It may be a spot by the side of a brook, in a grassy meadow, or in a 
dense clump of sedges or rushes. As a rule it provides some food, 
but that does not appear to be essential. In several instances ob- 
served, the. male occupied several stations in his territory for a 
varying number of consecutive days. When the female flies out of the 
nest, the male calls softly from his station until she is located. 
He usually commences the twilight winnowing from the station. 
3. <A suitable retreat for the female.--This is an area with some 
cover, near the nest, where she can go when disturbed. The most clear- 
ly defined retreats were in dense alder thickets, clumps of Nyrica 
gale, or even dense coniferous forest. She often feeds alone in e in that. 
part of the territory when off the nest. Usually she can walk back to 
the nest from the retreat without being seen, creeping along with the 
head down, taking advantage of even low grass cover, and darting over 
open places. | 
. A feeding area.--In some cases this is a large part of the - 
territory, in others it consists of a few choice sections. The male 
returns to the feeding area after his twilight winnowing period, and 
either or both birds may be flushed from it at night, when they are . 
not otherwise ‘engaged. The feeding areas I observed were used as 
such only in twilight or during the night. 
Another interésting function of the male's station and the female's 
retreat is evident after the young have hatched. The female takes her 
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