126 BIRDS OF THE COUNTRYSIDE 



lated, that I attribute the wonderful hold of his tribe 

 upon life — ^rather than to the mechanical factor of 

 prolificacy. 



Indeed, as I study the birds in my garden, I fall 

 more in wonder of the infinite variety of nature, 

 psychological variety not only of species, but (as 

 I hope to show later) of individuals of the same 

 species. How uncommercial-minded the individualist 

 robin is, for instance ! That spruce form, that 

 gallant and fiery spirit hardly gets a tenth of 

 what blackbird, thrush, tit and dunnock do in the 

 same time. He is looking out challengingly for a 

 rival all the time, and is as far removed from scramb- 

 ling, happy-go-lucky, child-like starling, contented 

 dunnock, vulgar sparrow, cheerful, industrious kitty- 

 wren, and insatiably curious, active, elfin tit as 

 the spari'ow is from his fellow-finch, the linnet. I 

 have had as many as three male robins in the garden 

 at the same time, and though they do not often come 

 to blows, their exclusive tempers will never suffer one 

 another's presence. The usual procedure is a singing 

 contest. One will perch on the fence, the other on 

 the plum-tree at the other end of the garden, and 

 then each will hurl bright, furious spears of sound at 

 the other, one bird always attending with concen- 

 trated jealousy upon his rival's musical charges 

 until the end, when he takes up the burden. So the 

 lyric duel continues, until they have worked themselves 

 up into a mood for arms, and one of them, whose 

 conviction of rightful possession is stronger than the 

 other's, quits his perch and advances upon the other, 

 his red breast puffed out like an ensign of battle. 

 I find that the intruder usually gives way and flees, 

 pursued over bush, over fence by the bird whose 

 saeva indignatio has flamed as red as his breast. 

 But occasionally the battle is joined, and a Homeric 

 business it is, though never in my experience with 

 fatal results. Still, there is no doubt that robins do 

 very occasionally fight to the death, being in that 

 respect unique (except for the raven) among British 

 birds. 



