BRITISH WARBLERS 



male Long-tailed Tits engaged in a fierce conflict ; the one had 

 seized the other by the feathers on the head, and in this way 

 they were rolling over and over on the ground. Frightened 

 at my approach the stronger male of the two flew away, leaving 

 its opponent too exhausted to move. I picked it up, and 

 while examining its head noticed the aggressor still flying 

 round, evidently unwilling to leave. In order, therefore, to 

 ascertain whether it would still continue the conflict in my 

 presence, I placed its opponent again upon the ground, and 

 retired some few paces distant, upon which the attack was 

 renewed, and so severe was it that had I not again interfered 

 the exhausted male must shortly have succumbed to its 

 injuries. In the hope of saving its life I carried it some 

 distance away and placed it in the bottom of a hedgerow. 

 But it was then in a state of collapse, too weak even to stand, 

 and it is doubtful whether it ultimately recovered. As in the 

 case of the Blackbird, the principal point of attack had been 

 the head, from which the feathers were torn in places. 



Battles somewmat of this description, but with differences 

 in detail, are of frequent occurrence at this season of the 

 year throughout bird life in general. And since they only 

 occur at this period, which is the period of sexual activity, it 

 was concluded — and it must be admitted that the conclusion 

 was not unnatural — that the females were the direct cause of 

 the quarrels. For many reasons, principal among which 

 was the fact that the females were seldom in evidence during 

 the battles, this conclusion never appeared to me altogether 

 satisfactory. The question w T as therefore always prominent 

 in my mind as to what was the real meaning of these struggles, 

 so terribly determined, and sometimes even resulting in the 

 death of one of the combatants ; and it remained unanswered 

 until I began to make a special study of certain migratory 

 species. It is strange that the importance of their life-history 

 did not impress itself upon me earlier ; for it requires but little 

 reflection to show how 7 splendid an opportunity is afforded in 

 their lives for studying some of the problems with which we 



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