SOME POPULAR ERRORS 



ground. Ducking under the branches himself, he 

 came out on the other side of the bush. The white 

 cock, coming full tilt after the other, was caught 

 by the branches and sent head over heels by the 

 springiness of the branches, and was barely on his 

 feet when the dark one came round the bush and 

 attacked him again. This same trick was repeated 

 ten or a dozen times, and invariably with the same 

 result, until the white cock was completely 

 4 knocked out of time.' ' 



Bearing in mind that our poultry are descended 

 from jungle fowl, it might not be unreasonable to 

 suppose that they inherit a certain adroitness of 

 intellect in taking advantage in their frequent 

 combats of such obstructions as branches of trees 

 may offer; but I think that in this instance the 

 bird was actuated by the simpler motive which we 

 may see at work any day now in the fights of 

 partridges in the fields. 



When one bird bolts and the other pursues the 

 fugitive has a good view of the ground ahead, and 

 easily gets over clods of earth, ruts, and other 

 obstacles. The pursuer, with his eyes fixed upon 

 his enemy, often stumbles over these, thus losing 

 ground; and the instant that he stops the other 

 is ready to turn upon him. Thus the fight nearly 

 always consists of absurd alternations of flight 

 and pursuit on the part of the two birds. 

 [93] 



