208 TEE ZOOLOGIST. 



Kedshanks. This was a closer and more pertinacious dogging, 

 and the fight a fiercer and more prolonged affair than I have yet 

 seen. It was in the shallow water, and the birds flew at and one 

 above the other, as I have described, grappling more than once, 

 and falling over together. As I say, I must have watched these 

 actions for quite half an hour, and they may have been going on 

 for much longer— possibly, as I believe, for hours. They ended, 

 however, at last — at least, for the time being — and that in an 

 interesting manner. All at once, as the two were chasing one 

 another with the greatest obstinacy, a third bird ran up, as it 

 were, between them (if not literally so, yet it had that effect), 

 and, on this, one of the two flew right away, retired from the 

 partie — intentionally, I mean, so it appeared to me — on which 

 the other, running to some way off, began to wave its wings, 

 much as before pairing,* at the same time uttering a continuous, 

 thin, piping note. This it went on doing for some minutes, and, 

 though to the human ear (which is nothing) the sound was 

 plaintive and querulous, yet I cannot help thinking it was really 

 a note of victory. I thought the whole thing was over, but all 

 at once the rival bird reappeared, and, flying at the soi-disant 

 victor again, it all went on as before. How long it lasted I 

 cannot say, for it soon became too dark for the glasses. 



Who was the third bird ? After the episode of the Kentish 

 Plovers, I cannot but suppose that she was the female, and cause 

 of strife. If so, then she was not indifferent to, but interested 

 in it, though anyone who, coming when I did, had stayed only 

 twenty-five minutes, would not have supposed so, or even, per- 

 haps, have noticed her. This brings some thoughts into my 

 head. Why is the assertion so frequent that the female bird 

 takes no interest in the contentions of the males on her account ? 

 It must rest, I suppose, on frequent observation, and twenty-five 

 minutes is a good long time. If the female not only takes 

 interest, but may put a male to flight, we see her with enlarged 

 powers. The question even arises whether she may not have 

 more power in this way than another male would have. 



* With this exception, I have never seen the Eedshank wave its wings 

 continuously, and as of set purpose, except before and in obvious connection 

 with the performance of the nuptial rite. When cbasing one another the 

 males often extend and give them a flap or two, but there is no sort of 

 resemblance here. 



