364 THE THRUSH FAMILY 



hood of its nest, and seeks to drive out all trespassers of its own 

 species. If by this is meant merely that a pair will object to too 

 near an approach to its nest, then it is generally true. Not only will 

 the pair, especially the cock, drive away members of its own species, 

 but of any other species, and this will undoubtedly occur even before 

 the nest is completed. If, on the other hand, it means that the 

 pair has a definite feeding area within which, during the breeding 

 season, it habitually remains, then, though obviously true of certain 

 species, e.g. the chiff-chaff, it is not, or is only partially, true of black- 

 birds and thrushes, who must often have to go outside any imaginable 

 private domain for their food, and who may be seen seeking it on the 

 same grass patch as others of their species. In this they resemble, 

 for instance, the starlings, who will fly a quarter of a mile or more 

 away from the nest when in search of supplies for their young, and 

 who frequently alight close to other pairs similarly engaged, so that, 

 at times, the united couples have almost the appearance of a flock. 

 Further, as far as my observation goes, there is little fighting among 

 thrushes after the end of April, that is, just at the time when the 

 birds would be tempted to go outside their own domains, if they had 

 any, in order to satisfy the increasing demand of the young for 

 food. 



The statement that the end of April puts a term to hostilities 

 is corroborated by an account of an unusual duel given in the Irish 

 Naturalist of 1903 (p. 155). It concerns a blackbird who fought every 

 day and for several hours a day during the whole of March and the 

 greater part of April, after which it made peace. This was in 1898. 

 The duel was resumed in 1899 and in 1900. The gallant bird's 

 equally gallant opponent was its own reflection in a window-pane, 

 upon which, beak to beak, it tapped and tapped again, its ever ready 

 foe returning tap for tap and scorn for scorn, untiringly. Curiously 

 enough, in the second year, a chaffinch started a similar duel on 

 the other side of the same house, resuming in 1900 and 1901, that 

 is, a year after the blackbird had vanished from the scene. The 



