226 BIRD LIFE GLIMPSES 



with it also, and the two then fought, jumping and 

 pecking at one another. It was not, however, a very 

 bloody combat. It seemed, I thought, rather half- 

 hearted, and I particularly noted that the bird which 

 had been challenged soon left off, and began to feed 

 again, on which his opponent desisted also, making 

 no attempt to take him at a disadvantage, which, it 

 seemed, he could easily have done, any more than he 

 had in the first instance. 



This chasing and coming down on to the grass, to 

 feed and skirmish, continued during the afternoon, 

 but there were two fights which were of a fiercer 

 and more interesting character. I have spoken, 

 before, of these woodpeckers' upright attitude, when 

 they fronted each other, swinging their heads from 

 side to side. This, however, was not at all the case 

 here. Instead of standing upright, they sat crouched 

 — almost lay — on the ground, with their wings half- 

 spread out upon it, and in this position — beak to 

 beak — they jerked their heads in the most vivacious 

 manner, each one seeming to meditate a deadly 

 spear-thrust. Then there were some quick mutual 

 darts, of a very light and graceful nature, and, at last, 

 each seizing hold of the other's beak, they pulled, 

 tugged, jumped, and dragged one another about, 

 with the greatest violence. One might suppose 

 that each bird sought to use his own beak as a 

 weapon of offence, in the usual manner, and seized 

 his adversary's, as it were, to disarm him, and 

 that, then, each tried to disengage, but was held 

 by the other. In the second and still more vio- 

 lent encounter, however, I noticed a very curious 

 feature. After the first light fencing, the birds 



