VOL. IX.] "WAIT AND SEE " PHOTOGRAPHY. 2(31 



April. But from that time onwards it was war to the 

 knife. First of all there were fights for the females, and 

 then frontier fights for the defence of the breeding- 

 grounds. Each pair seemed to claim a few yards of 

 frontage on the mere, together with the sporting rights 

 (bathing and hunting), as well as a stretch of territory 

 inland. These were most jealously guarded. 



THE MOORHEN : "CHASES HEK LP AND DOWN DITCHES." 

 (Photographed by Miss E. L. Turner.) 



When two Moorhens come to grips, the ensuing struggle 

 is no mere play. With feet closely interlocked, they hold 

 on to each other until occasionally muscles and joints 

 crack. A victorious bird will sometimes strive to drown 

 his opponent before releasing him. Meanwhile there is 

 much screaming and splashing, and the din of battle is 

 such that the waterside is no place for a contemplative 

 person. 



On May 25th I watched two pathetic little Moorhen 

 warriors, companions in misery, maimed and defeated, 

 striving only to snatch a little food unobserved. 



