226 WARFARE BETWEEN DIFFERENT SPECIES 



On the other hand, the Sedge- Warbler is 

 most aggressive towards other kindred species, 

 and when a male happens to occupy the same 

 ground as a Reed- Warbler, there are frequent 

 battles between them and incessant commotion ; 

 they fly at one another and meet in the air with 

 an audible clicking of bills, or pursue one 

 another amongst the reeds, each one uttering 

 its characteristic scolding note. 



The Tits, as a family, are notoriously 

 pugnacious. I have seen a pair of Blue Tits 

 attack a single Long-tailed Tit with great 

 determination, and not only did they pursue it, 

 but, flying at it, struck it with considerable 

 force. 



In giving an account of the domestic 

 economy of the Carrion- Crow, Mr Edmund 

 Selous refers to the hostility between this bird 

 and the Magpie. "About a week ago," he 

 says, 1 " I saw a Crow busily engaged in chasing 

 away several Magpies, not only from three or 

 four tall slender trees close together, in one of 

 which it had its nest, but also from various 

 other trees, not far off, round about. In this 

 the Crow had a good deal of trouble, as the 

 Magpies were always returning. After a time 

 it was joined by another crow, which however 

 did not take so active a part in the drama, nor 

 did I see either of the two actually go to the 

 nest, though I could only explain their action by 

 supposing it was their own. This morning I 

 saw the same thing reversed, for a pair of 

 1 Zoologist, 1912, p. 327. 



