WATCHING SHAGS AND GUILLEMOTS 193 



"Tilting, 

 Point to point at one another's breasts," 



they are ready to seize hold of each other should the 

 opportunity occur, and when the fight is fierce, and 

 the birds in their eagerness press in upon each other, 

 they then strike smartly with their wings. Some- 

 times, too, each tries to seize the other's beak, but 

 this is not usual, as I imagine it to be with herring- 

 gulls and cormorants. These single combats rarely 

 become melees, though, if one bird is forced to retreat, 

 those amongst whom he pushes will be ready to peck 

 at him and at each other. Of course, a bird, if really 

 in distress, can always fly down from the ledge into 

 the sea, and this it is often forced to do if it has been 

 standing near the edge when the combat broke out. 

 The better-placed bird seems then to recognise its 

 advantage, and presses boldly forward upon the other. 

 There is a short retreat, a recognition of the danger 

 and vigorous rally, another forced step backwards, an 

 ineffectual whirring of wings on the extreme brink, 

 and, turning in the moment of falling, the discom- 

 fited one renounces all further effort and plunges 

 into the abyss. And, no doubt, the little lice who 

 crawl about upon the ledge and see such mighty 

 doings, would, were they poets, write long epics telling 

 of the wars and falls of angels. But only combats 

 on the brink have such dramatic terminations, and 

 farther inland a fight must be of an exceptionally 

 violent kind to make the birds not think of preening 

 themselves, and thus bring it to an end. 



Birds that are incubating will fight as well as the 

 others, and no respect seems to be paid to them on 

 this account. Often one thus occupied may be seen 

 N 



