CHAPTER VI 



THE WARFARE BETWEEN DIFFERENT SPECIES 

 AND ITS RELATION TO THE TERRITORY 



We have now considered the various ways in 

 which the territory is useful in furthering the 

 life of the individual. We have seen that, in 

 some cases, there is competition for stations 

 where the egg or eggs can be deposited and 

 incubated in safety ; that, in others, there is 

 competition for stations capable of furnishing 

 an adequate supply of food for the young ; 

 and that the establishment of " territories " 

 not only renders the attainment of reproduction 

 for the individual secure, but serves so to 

 regulate the distribution of pairs that the 

 maximum number can be accommodated in 

 the minimum area. This being so, the question 

 arises as to whether competition for territory 

 is strictly limited to individuals of the same 

 species, or whether it may not occur also 

 between different kinds of birds, providing 

 always that similar conditions of existence 

 are required. First of all I shall relate a 

 number of facts which will serve to show the 

 nature and extent of the warfare, and I shall 



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