218 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



birds, the female looks upon two suitors, but not more, as 

 correct, even though she may snub one of them ; or do we 

 have something like the husband and the tame cat ? 



May 2nd. — I have for some time been making interesting 

 observations on the courting habits of the Kentish Plover. Two 

 males have been fighting, on and off (mostly on) in the usual 

 way for an hour and more. A female (clearly discernible as 

 such) manifested interest in the partie by, from time to time, 

 running up, and apparently making a close survey of it. Now, 

 on the other side of the combatants, but further off than the 

 usual distance of the first-mentioned hen, appears a second one ; 

 but on her manifesting a similar interest in the contest, and 

 coming closer to it, she is attacked by the other. In the course 

 of the drama's long continuance this occurs two or three times, 

 and on a third male approaching, he too, just as in the former 

 case I have recorded, is attacked and driven away by this same 

 hen. Her own rival, however, is not so easily dealt with. She 

 keeps about, and at last, after perhaps an hour and a half, 

 comes into the immediate sphere of the conflict. Instantly a 

 second conflict, of a far more violent character, takes place. 

 The first hen rushes upon her, and the two, grappling, roll 

 over and over on the ground. At length they disengage, and 

 one is seen to be struggling to escape, but the other holds her 

 by a tail-feather, or some pinched skin near the tail, and she is 

 thus detained for some time before finally escaping. As it is 

 impossible to distinguish the two hens, I can only believe that 

 the first one has been the victress, since things afterwards pro- 

 ceed as before, and she was the aggrieved and more angry party. 

 I was delighted with her conduct, but before this she had pleased 

 me still more by confirming one of my recent surmises, for, 

 advancing to the contending males, she singled out one, whom 

 she attacked, and succeeded, for the time being, in driving away. 

 A little while afterwards, however, he returned, and, running up 

 to his rival, "to 't they went again." And now an Oyster- 

 catcher, walking across the area of these proceedings, is so 

 threatened by the hen bird that he is intimidated, and turns 

 out of the way. What, therefore, that this hen Kentish Plover 

 could have done to show her interest in what has been going 

 forward has been left undone by her ? She has approached the 



