Omaha daily bee., 1902-07-07
COCK sPARRows IN DUEL.
Rivals, Twice Separator, Fight to the
Death.

Death.
Two sparrrows fought . duel to the death,
adding to the sports Of Memorial day an
incident not down on the calendar.
II n near the end Of the mating season
among the sparrows, relates the New York
Times. TWO OF the cock birds FIRST at
tracted the attention Of q man sitting on
a bench In City Hall park. Perched on
the rim OF a basin Of the fountain was .
hen sparrow also watching the beauX hop
ping on the pavement, displaying before her
In the sunlight the glory OF their feathers.
The larger brushed the smaller with an
extended wing. The smaller bird was not
afraid. He slapped his antagonist viciously
with both wings and then they were at It,
while the hen chirped excitedly and nut
tered her wings.
The rivals faced one another like game
chickens and jumped at one another as
fighting ROSTERS do, striking with their
feet, but they also hit with their wings, az
the fowls do not. Then they came to q
clinch, each having a head hold with his
bill. They rolled over and over, one on
top and then the other. tearing with their
claws and at every chance letting go their
hold to peck savagely for the throat.
Soon 100 persons had formed a semicircle
about the contestants. The birds were too
busy to pay any attention to the spectators.
They had been struggling for quite ten min
utes when a young woman passed. She
stopped to ascertain what was interesting
30 many people and saw two little birds
struggling on the pavement. She pushed
her way through the crowd and sent the
birds flying by a swish OF her skirts and an
excited Shoot
The birds few to the Beekman street
side OF the Potter building. whore they re-
newed the battle on a window sill OF the
second floor. The crowd followed and grew
in numbers. The hen bird perched near
the fighters, watching them with keen In
terest. The combatants rolled off the ledge
and fell together to the street, hitting the
sidewalk hard enough to stun them mo-
mentarily. In their excitement they did
not use their wings to save themselves nor
did they loosen their holds.
In a second they were at 1t again, peck
ing savagely at neck and throat. The birds
had been fighting on the sidewalk for
nearly an hour, when a policeman appeared.
He pulled the birds apart, tossing them into
the air in opposite directions. They new
together again and fought In midair. They
landed again on the window sill and fell
once moro to the street. The policeman
drove the crowd off, but they returned In
greater numbers. .f r ls-
A blonde-haired. blue-eyed giant In SOL
dier's uniform pushed through the crowd,
looked at the birds and then, pulling them
apart, carried one a block down the street,
where he set 1t free. The crowd jeered
him, but he called them towards and dared
any OF them TO night. They were evidently
Impressed by the singular attitude Of the
young soldier who would stop the birds
lighting and then offer to fight any maj
who cared to tackle him, for nome took up
the challenge. He went his way, and the
birds met again on the roof Of the postof-
hce.
In about I'VE minutes one Of them fell
dead to the pavement. An Italian boy car
ried him away. saying that sparrows were
good to eat. The victor and the hen spar
row few away to the Potter building. No
one could say whether 1t was the larger or
the smaller sparrow killed, for there was
no means of comparison.