50 BIRD COURTSHIP 



fell to the ground tweaking each other spitefully. 

 Then the four birds drifted away from me down into 

 the vineyard, where the males closed with each other 

 again and fell to the plowed ground and lay there 

 a surprisingly long time, nearly two minutes, as we 

 calculated. Their wings were outspread, and their 

 forms were indistinguishable. They tugged at each 

 other most doggedly; one or the other brown breast 

 was generally turned up, partly overlaid by a blue 

 coat. They were determined to make a finish of 

 it this time, but which got the better of the fight 

 I could not tell. But it was the last battle ; they 

 finally separated, neither, apparently, any the worse 

 for the encounter. The females fought two more 

 rounds, the males looking on and warbling approv- 

 ingly when they separated, and the two pairs drifted 

 away in different directions. The next day they 

 were about the box and tree again, and seemed to 

 have definitely settled matters. Who won and who 

 lost I do not know, but two pairs of bluebirds have 

 since been very busy and very happy about the two 

 nesting-places. One of the males I recognize as a 

 bird that appeared early in March ; I recognize him 

 from one peculiar note in the midst of his warble, 

 a note that suggests a whistle. 



The matchmaking of the high-holes, which often 

 comes under my observation, is in marked contrast 

 to that of the robins and the bluebirds. There does 

 not appear to be any anger or any blows. The male 



