THE NIDIOLOGIST. 



41 



have known of a Barn Swallow's building 

 under the eaves, but I have yet to find an 

 instance of an Eave Swallow going inside 

 of a barn or other building. There is no 

 kind of cavity in which the House Wren, 

 Martin and Bluebird may not build. 



I have said nothing about the Hawks and 

 Owls, becairse their ways vary but slightly 

 in this section; a few breed in hollows of 

 trees, or nest in forks, indiscriminately. 



Michigan, Jime, i8gj. 



DR. MORRIS GIBBS. 



A COMBAT BETWEEN QUAIL. 



We take pleasure in presenting to the 

 readers of the 



NiDIOLOGlST, 



a "half-tone" por- 

 trait of Dr. Morris 

 Gibbs, whose writ- 

 ings, over the 

 pseudonym "Scol- 

 opax," and many 

 others, have given 

 him a wide repu- 

 tation among na- 

 turalists. 



The Doctor has 

 never before 

 shown his face to 

 ornithologists on 

 the page of any 

 journal, and they 

 will doubtless be 

 pleased to see the 

 excellent picture 

 here given. 



Morris Gibbs, 

 M. D., was born 

 in Kalamazoo, 

 Michigan. His 

 writings, which 

 have appeared in 

 fifty papers, and 

 under nearly as 

 m a n 3' no7ns de 

 plume, for many 

 years past, are 



well known to readers of magazines on 

 natural histor}^, science, hunting, fishing 

 and outing. His specialties are iti birds, 

 reptiles and fishes, and his best and most 

 agreeable work is among the birds, to which 

 he is attached purely by a love of the pur- 

 suit. Dr. Gibbs is connected with the 

 American Angler of New York as Natural 

 History Editor, and is a paid correspondent 

 to many other papers. His home is at 

 Kalamazoo, Michigan. 



One morning last July, while taking a 

 stroll through the woods' in quest of "news 

 from the feathered tribe," I sat down to 

 rest under the shade of a gigantic live oak. 

 Suddenly I was startled by a rustling among 

 the wild blackberry vines which grew round 

 about in profusion, and cautiously advanc- 

 ing to ascertain the cause of the disturb- 

 ance, I beheld a pair of Quail, not twenty 

 feet distant, so intent upon their battle with 

 each other that they paid no attention to 

 me, even if they were aware of my presence. 

 Both were male birds; one, a native of the 



Golden State (a 

 California Valley 

 Quail), the other, 

 the Scaled Quail, 

 a native of the 

 arid regions of 

 New Mexico and 

 Arizona, being one 

 ofthe many thous- 

 ands of his species 

 that were shipped 

 into our State 

 alive. There was 

 no fake about this 

 fight and no ref- 

 eree nor spectators 

 except myself and 

 the mate of the 

 Califor n i a bird 

 with her brood ol 

 young. 



The fight was 

 sharp, short and 

 decisive; their ac- 

 tivity and agility 

 were remarkable. 

 Their style of 

 fighting was at 

 times quite similar 

 to that of a couple 

 of roosters at close 

 range, while again 

 they would part 

 for several feet and charge at each other, 

 but the object of attack would escape the 

 charge by dodging out of range just in 

 time. 



Finally the California bird "threw up 

 the sponge," but the stranger kept admin- 

 istering blows after the fight had been de- 

 cided in his favor, so I thought it would 

 be unpatriotic to allow my own bird to be 

 punched after he had called "enough" and 

 walked so near to them that they .separated. 



DR. MORRIS GIBBS. 



