40 TJie Study of Animal Life PART i 



small mammals, and sometimes have to fight hard for their 

 booty. Reptiles also have their battles witness the combats 

 between snake and mongoose. In many cases, however, 

 carnivorous animals depend upon small fry ; thus many 

 birds feed on fishes, insects, and worms, and many fishes 

 live on minute crustaceans. In such cases the term 



FIG. 6. Weasel attacking a grouse. (From St. John's Wild Sports.} 



struggle must again be used " in a wide and metaphorical 

 sense." 



(c) In a great number of cases there is between rival males 

 a contest for the possession of the females, a competition 

 in which beauty and winsomeness are sometimes as im- 

 portant as strength. Contrast the musical competition 

 between rival songsters with the fierce combats of the stags. 



