Page:The British Warblers A History with Problems of Their Lives - 3 of 9.djvu/27

 Until a female arrives in his territory, the male spends much of his time in song. He makes use of a particular branch upon a particular tree, perched upon which he, morning after morning, pours out his song or preens his feathers. This branch may be called the headquarters of his territory, and I have noticed that it is sometimes a conspicuous one, projecting from the other branches, from which a clear view of the surrounding neighbourhood can be obtained. In order to see how invariably he makes use of it, it is only necessary to remain in hiding a short time somewhere close at hand. He leaves it when searching for food, or attacking another male, but, after finishing whatever active task he may be engaged in, he will return without much delay. After a female has arrived and mating has taken place, he seems to attach less importance to the branch, transferring his headquarters to the nest.

I once saw a male, almost the first I had noticed that year, flying excitedly from tree to tree carrying a piece of dead cow-parsnip () in his bill. I should not attach much importance to such an isolated action, had I not seen a similar occurrence in the case of another species, the Whitethroat; which makes me inclined to think that our knowledge is defective, and that such actions may not be of uncommon occurrence. There is little doubt that it is in some way connected with the well-known and unexplained habit, found amongst the males of many species, while courting, of picking up and carrying some piece of dead vegetation in their bills; but in these two specific instances no females had arrived. Such actions may be an outward sign only of the one absorbing feature of the bird's existence at this time, the redeuntio amoris, a feature in which the construction of the nest forms an important part, but it is also possible that there may be a deeper meaning attached to them, and that they may have preceded, in the course of development, the construction of the nest.

The females commence to arrive about the middle of April,