CHAPTER III 



THE INFLUENCE OF COMBAT 



The probability that combats between animals 

 first occasioned the utterance of vocal sounds has 

 been suggested in Chapter I. of this book. The 

 purport of the present chapter is to discuss the 

 further influence of combat in developing and modi- 

 fying the voice. Just as an anticipation of danger 

 may produce an alarm-cry, so the irritating presence 

 of a rival, or an intruder upon a favourite resort, 

 might have induced the use of a cry as a defiance. 



Darwin observed : " It is certain that there is an 

 intense degree of rivalry between the males (of birds) 

 in their singing. Bird-fanciers match their birds to 

 see which will sing longest ; and I was told by Mr. 

 Yarrell that a first-rate bird will sometimes sing till 

 he drops down almost dead, or, according to Bech- 

 stein, quite dead, from rupturing a vessel in the 

 lungs {Naticrgeschichte der Stiibenvogel, 1 840, p. 252). 



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