BIRD OOUETSHIP 81 



dently, so fondly, so reassuringly ! When the fe- 

 male would return and peep into the hole in the tree, 

 ■what fine, joyous notes he would utter! then he 

 would look in and twinkle his wings, and say some- 

 thing his rival could not hear. This vocal and pan- 

 tomimic contest went on for a long time. The fe- 

 male was evidently greatly shaken in her allegiance 

 to the male in the old apple-tree. In less than an 

 hour another female responded to the male who had 

 sought the eaves of the study, and flew with him to 

 the hox. Whether this was their first meeting or 

 not I do not know, but it was clear enough that the 

 heart of the male was fixed upon the bride of his 

 rival. He would devote himself a moment to the 

 new-comer, and then turn toward the old apple-tree 

 and call and lift his wings; then, apparently ad- 

 monished by the bird near him, would turn again to 

 her and induce her to look into the box and warble 

 fondly; then up on a higher branch again, with 

 his attention directed toward his first love, between 

 whom and himself salutations seemed constantly 

 passing. This little play went on for some time, 

 when the two females came into collision, and fell to 

 the ground tweaking each other spitefully. Then 

 the four birds drifted away from me down into the 

 vineyard, where the males closed with each other 

 again and fell to the plowed ground and lay there 

 a surprisingly long time, nearly two minutes, as we 

 calculated. Their wings were outspread, and their 

 forms were indistinguishable. They tugged at each 

 other most doggedly; one or the other brown breast 



