1904. Notes. 139 



Spring Rivalry of Birds. 



Mr. C. B. Moffat's able article on above subject in the Irish Naturalist 

 for June, 1903, was most interesting, especially as regards his views of 

 the country being ''parcelled out," as it were, to certain pairs of birds 

 of each species, and that the possession of each plot was contested 

 for by the males, the victor in the combat talcing occupation of the site. 

 The following observations help, I think, in a way to confirm this 

 theory. On the last day of April this year, whilst trout fishing on the 

 Glen wherry River, Co. Antrim, my attention was called to a pair of 

 Common Sandpipers {Totamis hypoleuciis) seemingly engaged in mortal 

 coml)at ; with wings expanded and held erect, they were flopping about 

 and tumbling over each other on a small rush. covered reach of the 

 river. I stopped fishing and turned my glasses on the scene, and by so 

 doing I was enabled to see another Sandpiper, probably a female, 

 crouching amongst some stones, and seemingly an interested spectator 

 of what was going on. These two birds were, I presumed, males, and 

 the thought struck me that they were either fighting for this 

 particular reach of the river as a probable nesting site, or for the female 

 as a mate. 



The combat lasted fully a quarter of an hour, partly on the shore and 

 partly in the water. During the whole time the wings were held erect 

 and expanded to the full extent, and the well-known piping cry was 

 uttered. It ended in the vanquished bird being carried down by the 

 stream past the spot where I was lying, and washed against some stones 

 in the centre of the river, where it was just able to crawl out, a pitiable 

 sight, its head bleeding freelj'' from just under the eye. It recovered 

 rapidl}', as it shortly took wing and flitted down stream to a small 

 islet, where it was joined by another bird of the same species. The 

 victor, evidently well pleased with himself, now turned his attention to 

 the female, and went through a wonderful series of love antics before 

 her, as if saying, " I have beaten that fellow off, and by doing so have 

 secured you as ni}^ lawful wife and this piece of ground for ourselves." 

 I fancy the nesting site had been selected, as I noticed the female going 

 to a clump of rushes and crouching amongst them during the time the 

 fight was going on. Now, were these two birds fighting for this parti- 

 cular spot on the river (a most likely spot for this species to nest on), or 

 was it for the possession of the female as a mate— or for both ? It may 

 have been for one or the other ; on the other hand, it may have been for 

 both, the female having probably selected the nesting site, and the two 

 male birds having decided by a regular stand-up fight which was to 

 become the happy possessor of both, the vanquished one giving up all 

 claims on the lady and the plot of ground. 



Both objects would thus have been attained at the one time, as both 

 the female and nesting site selected would have been secured. 



W. C. Wright. 

 Marlborough Park, Belfast. 



