Page:Which Sex Selects the Nesting Locality - William Henry Mousley - The Auk, 38(3) - P0321-p0328.pdf/1



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draft of this paper was prepared in July 1918, about the same time as that of 'The Singing Tree' but was not offered for publication with the latter, as I was anxious to further consider the matter, and if possible gain some additional evidence in support of my theory, that it is the male in most cases who really selects or establishes the general nesting site, whilst the female no doubt, in the majority of cases, is responsible for selecting the exact spot or location of the nest on that site. Now this at first sight may seem contrary to all pre-conceived ideas on the subject, for I believe we have all come, in a hazy kind of way, to look upon the female as the principal actor in this site selecting business, whereas I would suggest that it is really the male who stands out as the dominant figure. Now in order to make my point clearer, I will ask you to consider for a moment what is meant by "the singing tree." Is it merely a figure of speech, or a fancy title to a paper,