138 NEWS FROM THE BIRDS. 



squat on the bare -floor and spend the night 

 there. Other birds — red- winged blackbirds 

 and catbirds — kept for a while in the same 

 cage, roosted on the perches. 



One day in early spring I saw two larks 

 fighting. It was an amusing performance. At 

 first they avoided coming into direct contact. 

 One would leap up into the air, as if he had 

 steel springs in his legs, and come down close 

 to the other, which would bound away Just in 

 time. Thus they danced about for a while, 

 and then flew over to a little grassy knoll where 

 they engaged for a few^ moments in quite a 

 vigorous set-to, flying together, rising in the 

 air, clawing each other, and shrieking angrily. 

 Which won the victory I never knew, for pres- 

 ently they flew^ away over the hilltop, whither 

 I could not follow them. 



