82 BIRD COURTSHIP 



me down into the vineyard, where the males 

 closed with each other again and fell to the 

 ploughed ground and lay there a surprisingly 

 long time, nearly two minutes, as we calcu- 

 lated. 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 deter- 

 mined 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 

 approvingly 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 rec- 

 ognize him from one peculiar note in the midst 

 of his warble, a note that suggests a whistle. 



The matchmaking of the highholes, which 

 often comes under my observation, is in marked 

 contrast to that of the robins and bluebirds. 

 There does not appear to be any anger or any 

 blows. The male or two males will alight on 

 a limb in front of the female, and go through 

 with a series of bowings and scrapings that are 



