Page:Bird-lore Vol 04.djvu/204

 The Weapons of Birds 183

the Nest. However the others do not forsake it till they have quite driven it out of their Limits.”

This same keep-off—my-territory trait is as strong in the common Pigeon as in his extinct relation, for if one Pigeon trespasses on the breeding box of another he will be Set upon and belabored without mercy. And while no existing Pigeon has the bony knob of the Soliv taire. some wild species have a rudiment of such a weapon: and if anyone will part the feathers on the outer edge of a Pigeon's wing, near the bend. he. or she, will ﬁnd a small bare spot and more or less trace of a little prominence covered Fm 2- Sum o! the Spur with tough skin, “mm mm

Nlost hirds. indeed, are compelled to get along without any special weapon, and some, the Swans for example, are said to give very severe blows

with the unaided wing: although one may reasonably question the statement that even this bird can break a man's arm with a stroke of its piniont Nearly everyone has seen the roughvand-tumble ﬁghts of those ill-bred little feathered gamim. the English Sparrows, and know the vigorous manner in which they hammer one another with beak and wing.

The writer does not know whether or not such well-armed birds as Gannets or Herons quarrel among themselves; but if they do so this should result in serious damage, for the beak of the Gannet is wonderfully keen? edged, while a thrust from the hill of such a bird as the Blue Heron would be powerful enough to kill an adversary of the same species. Such as these need no adventi» tious aids: neither do such hard kickers as the Ostrich and his relations, who are well able to take care of themselves. But many of the game birds. as we all know, make up for any lack of size and‘ strength by the spurs with which their legs are provided, while still other birds wear spurs upon their wings; and it is to be noted that these are such as have weak legs or have uses for them that would render spurs upon their legs more or less ineﬂicient as weapons Several species of Plovers found in South America, India and Africa, distributed among the genera Haplapterm, Bthnupterm, Labi’mntllus and Sartiap/Jorux, have these wingespurs, and very sharp spurs they are. too, and seemingly very effective, None of these

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