112 DISPOSITION TO DEFEND THE TERRITORY 



towards the other in a threatening attitude 

 and, in a half-hearted manner, peck at it ; and 

 gradually the hostility grew, until the tentative 

 pecking developed into a scuffle and the scuffle 

 into a conflict. 



Much fighting also occurs between the 

 females of the Reed - Bunting, and likewise 

 between those of the Moor-Hen, and because 

 these two species are not only common but 

 inhabit respectively open stretches of marshy 

 ground or large sheets of water, the fighting can 

 be readily observed. 



Why do the females fight before they are 

 definitely paired ? To obtain mates ? This 

 certainly seems to be the obvious explanation 

 because any question of securing territory can 

 be excluded ; yet if it be true that their sex is 

 numerically inferior, it is difficult to understand 

 the necessity for such strenuous competition. 

 But what is the condition under which the 

 pugnacious instinct of the female is rendered 

 susceptible to stimulation ? It cannot be merely 

 the presence of a male ready to breed, for then 

 there would be endless commotion amongst the 

 flocks of Chaffinches or of Lapwings which in 

 March are composed of both sexes, including 

 even males that have secured territories. There 

 must be some other circumstance ; and, judging 

 by experience, it is to be found in the territory 

 a male, that is to say, in occupation of one, is 

 the condition under which the inherited nature 

 of the female is allowed free play. We must 

 bear in mind, however, that the competition 



