WHEATEARS, DABCHICKS 73 



tween them, they stand for a moment looking at 

 each other, yet without any very warlike demonstra- 

 tion. Then, all at once, one darts upon the other — 

 so swiftly that I cannot be sure whether he flies, 

 hops, or does both — and there is now a fierce and 

 prolonged fight. For a moment or two they are in 

 the air (though not at any height), then struggling 

 on the ground, when one, getting uppermost, holds 

 the other down. At last they separate, and for a 

 few seconds stand close together as though recover- 

 ing breath. Then, as by mutual consent, they retire 

 from each other to a short distance and hop about 

 again in the same manner as before. One of them 

 then again flies singing into the air, and on coming 

 down dances, but to this the other does not respond, 

 and now all goes on in the usual way, the birds 

 getting once or twice again quite close, but separating 

 without fighting. At half-past four there is another 

 twittering flight into the air, and a dance on descent, 

 which is emulated in a few minutes by the rival bird. 

 Shortly afterwards one flies a considerable way off, 

 but is followed almost at once by the other, and the 

 same thing goes on. Then there is another flight 

 and song with, this time, no dance on descent, but, 

 as though to make up for this omission, on the next 

 occasion, which is some few minutes afterwards, there 

 are two distinct transports on alighting, separated by 

 a short interval. On this occasion the bird did not 

 sing either in ascending or descending. 



" Here some other birds claimed my attention, and 

 I was away for a quarter of an hour. On returning, 

 at a quarter to five, I found the two wheatears still 

 together, and precisely the same thing going on. 



