WATCHING BIRDS AT A STRAW-STACK 209 



against each other, breast to breast (as do so many 

 birds), and they may rise thus to a considerable height, 

 each trying to get above the other, and claw or peck 

 down upon it — at least, it would seem so. Their 

 position in the air is thus perpendicular, and as they 

 mutually impede each other, they are more fluttering 

 than flying. Sometimes, however — generally after 

 they have got to a little height — they will disengage, 

 and then there will be between them a series of 

 alternate little flights up and above, and swoops down 

 upon each other, very inspiriting to see. Sometimes 

 they will commence the fight with these swoopings, 

 but it is more common for them to flutter perpen- 

 dicularly up as described, and then down again. 

 Often, too, they will rise beak to beak only, the 

 position being then between perpendicular and hori- 

 zontal, but more the latter, the tail part of them 

 giving constant little flirts upwards — as when a vol- 

 atile Italian in an umbrella shop leans his whole 

 weight on the stick of one of the umbrellas and leaps, 

 or, rather, swings himself from the ground, kicking 

 his heels into the air, to demonstrate its strength. 

 Imagine two volatile Italians thus testing two 

 umbrellas whose handles touch, continually throwing 

 up their heels, rising a little as they do so, never 

 coming quite down again, and so getting a little 

 higher each time, and you have the two chaffinches. 

 Or there will be a series of alternate flying jumps 

 from the ground like the starling's, but more aerial. 

 These are the more usual ways, but if one bird can, 

 whilst on the ground, suddenly seize another by the 

 nape of the neck, and then, getting on his back, twist 

 his beak about in the skin and feathers, it is all the 

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