io8 BIRD WATCHING 



were females. In none of these fights, nor in others 

 that I have seen between black-backed gulls on the 

 island, did there seem to be any special set method 

 either of attack or defence, as is so noticeable in the 

 case of some birds. It was a generalised fight — "a 

 pankration " — in which each bird did whatever it 

 could without art or plan. A fight between two 

 herring-gulls that lasted a long time was of another 

 character. " They fought most savagely, but in a 

 curious manner. Each seized the other by the beak, 

 which they then (or one of them) endeavoured to 

 extricate by pulling backwards, so that the stronger 

 bird, or each alternately, dragged the other over the 

 ground, a process which the one being dragged tried 

 to resist by spreading the wings at right angles 

 and opposing them to the ground. To me it seemed 

 that one of the birds had each time seized the other 

 to advantage and strove to retain its hold against the 

 efforts of the less fortunate one to disengage. The 

 length of time during which they remained with the 

 beaks thus interlocked was remarkable. I was not 

 able to time them, but it was so long as to grow 

 tedious, and I several times turned the glasses on to 

 other objects and, after a short interval, brought them 

 back again, always finding them as before. A quarter 

 of an hour, or, at the very least, ten minutes, would not, 

 I think, be an over-estimate of the time they some- 

 times remained in this connection. The instant the 

 beaks were unlocked the birds fiercely seized each other 

 by them again, there was the same dragging and 

 resistance, the same lengthy duration, and this was 

 repeated three or four times in succession. At length 

 there was a very violent struggle, and the bird that 



