Large body size for winning and large swords for winning quickly in swordtail males, Xiphophorus helleri

Contestants can either assess their own resource-holding potential relative to their opponent (mutual assessment) or rely solely on the assessment of their own fighting ability (self-assessment). To discriminate between these possibilities, we staged dyadic territorial contests between 'size-matched' male swordtails. These contests consist of a combination of ritualized displays and direct fighting. Although size differences were small, winners were larger than losers and smaller fish tended to be winners only when the size difference was negligible. Body size, however, did not influence contest duration and there was no increase in contest duration with mean body size; thus, there is no support for self-assessment in these animals. We also examined the effects of the sword, which comprises a sexually selected extension used in female choice that reduces swimming efficiency but increases acceleration. The length of the sword (adjusted for body size) did not differ between winners and losers; however, losers conceded earlier if the opponent had a large sword for its body size but this decision was independent of the loser's own sword length. Losers thus assessed the swords of winners, which precludes self-assessment; however, because winners appeared not to assess the swords of losers, this does not fully support the idea of mutual assessment. (c) 2008 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pens and Swords: Creative writing and poetry in post-conflict and displacement settings.

An overview of the use of poetry in creative writing and memoir writing in post-conflict contexts and for migrants illustrated with a number of proven activities, in the light of the (alleged) contrast between therapeutic and artistic writing.

Female preference for swords in Xiphophorus helleri reflects a bias for large apparent size

Swordtail fish (Poeciliidae: genus Xiphophorus) are a paradigmatic case of sexual selection by sensory exploitation. Female preference for males with a conspicuous “sword” ornament is ancestral, suggesting that male morphology has evolved in response to a preexisting bias. The perceptual mechanisms underlying female mate choice have not been identified, complicating efforts to understand the selection pressures acting on ornament design. We consider two alternative models of receiver behavior, each consistent with previous results. Females could respond either to specific characteristics of the sword or to more general cues, such as the apparent size of potential mates. We showed female swordtails a series of computer-altered video sequences depicting a courting male. Footage of an intact male was preferred strongly to otherwise identical sequences in which portions of the sword had been deleted selectively, but a disembodied courting sword was less attractive than an intact male. There was no difference between responses to an isolated sword and to a swordless male of comparable length, or between an isolated sword and a homogenous background. Female preference for a sworded male was abolished by enlarging the image of a swordless male to compensate for the reduction in length caused by removing the ornament. This pattern of results is consistent with mate choice being mediated by a general preference for large males rather than by specific characters. Similar processes may account for the evolution of exaggerated traits in other systems.

From [Swords?] Hotel. Quebec. September 22nd.

[From Jasper Cropsey Sketch book, 1855-1856]

The garden of swords /

Mode of access: Internet.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Japanese swords guards,

Includes index.

Soldiers without swords; a history of the Salvation Army in the United States.

Mode of access: Internet.

Swords into ploughshares; an account of the American Friends Service Committee, 1917-1937.

Mode of access: Internet.

Laws of the United States, in relation to the navy and marine corps; to the close of the second session of the Twenty-sixth Congress. Together with the acts and resolutions of Congress, granting medals, swords and votes of thanks, or having reference to special objects: also private acts, for the relief of individuals, alphabetically arranged: and a table of appropriations and expenditures, for the naval service, from 1791 to 1840, both years inclusive. To which are prefixed the Constitution of the United States, and a synopsis of the legislation of Congress, respecting naval affairs, during the revolutionary war /

Mode of access: Internet.

Laws of the United States, in relation to the navy and marine corps; to the close of the second session of the Twenty-sixth Congress. Together with the acts and resolutions of Congress, granting medals, swords and votes of thanks, or having reference to special objects: also private acts, for the relief of individuals, alphabetically arranged: and a table of appropriations and expenditures, for the naval service, from 1791 to 1840, both years inclusive. To which are prefixed the Constitution of the United States, and a synopsis of the legislation of Congress, respecting naval affairs, during the revolutionary war. With an appendix, containing the laws passed at the Twenty-seventh Congress. Pub. by authority of the Navy department.

Mode of access: Internet.

The kingdom of slender swords /

Mode of access: Internet.