Collections.sort() defers to Arrays.sort()

Arrays.sort.java

/**
     * Src is the source array that starts at index 0
     * Dest is the (possibly larger) array destination with a possible offset
     * low is the index in dest to start sorting
     * high is the end index in dest to end sorting
     * off is the offset into src corresponding to low in dest
     */
    private static void mergeSort(Object[] src,
  			  Object[] dest,
				  int low, int high, int off,
				  Comparator c) {
	int length = high - low;

	// Insertion sort on smallest arrays
	if (length < INSERTIONSORT_THRESHOLD) {
	    for (int i=low; i<high; i++)
		for (int j=i; j>low && c.compare(dest[j-1], dest[j])>0; j--)
		    swap(dest, j, j-1);
	    return;
	}

        // Recursively sort halves of dest into src
        int destLow  = low;
        int destHigh = high;
        low  += off;
        high += off;
        int mid = (low + high) >>> 1;
        mergeSort(dest, src, low, mid, -off, c);
        mergeSort(dest, src, mid, high, -off, c);

        // If list is already sorted, just copy from src to dest.  This is an
        // optimization that results in faster sorts for nearly ordered lists.
        if (c.compare(src[mid-1], src[mid]) <= 0) {
           System.arraycopy(src, low, dest, destLow, length);
           return;
        }

        // Merge sorted halves (now in src) into dest
        for(int i = destLow, p = low, q = mid; i < destHigh; i++) {
            if (q >= high || p < mid && c.compare(src[p], src[q]) <= 0)
                dest[i] = src[p++];
            else
                dest[i] = src[q++];
        }
    }

INSERTIONSORT_THRESHOLD = 7