Page:Territory in Bird Life by Henry Eliot Howard (London, John Murray edition).djvu/206

148 however, that the song, just as it serves to attract the females, serves to repel other males, a new element is introduced deserving of recognition; for those males that had established themselves would not only be spared the necessity of many a conflict, but they would be spared also the necessity of constant watchfulness, and so, being free to pursue their normal routine—to seek food, to rest, and, if migrants, to recover from the fatigue of the journey, they would be better fitted to withstand the strain of reproduction; and those that were still seeking isolation in an appropriate environment, instead of settling first here and then there only to find themselves forestalled, would avoid and pass by positions that were occupied, establishing themselves without loss of time in those that were vacant. Without the aid of something beyond mere physical encounter to regulate dispersal, it is difficult to imagine how in the short time at disposal anything approaching uniformity of distribution could be obtained. Hence, both in the direction of limiting combat, of insuring accommodation for the maximum number of pairs in the minimum area, and of conserving energy, the song, by conveying a warning, plays an important part in the whole scheme.

And if this be so, if the song repels instead of attracting, it follows that the more distinct the sounds, the less likelihood will there be of confusion; for supposing that different species were to develop similar songs, whole areas might