40 



The 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. 



