SAKD DUNES AND SALT MARSHES 



In the descent they circle slowly down, or 

 drop with great rapidity, tipping frequently 

 from side to side to spill the wind in order 

 to quicken the pace, and often slowly sink- 

 ing the last twenty or thirty feet with out- 

 stretched legs and upraised wings. It will 

 be a long time before human aeroplanes can 

 compete with these past masters in the art. 



One March day I noticed a gull rise from 

 the water and fly with all speed directly at 

 a golden-eye duck who was peacefully swim- 

 ming not far off. The duck dove to avoid the 

 blow that seemed imminent, and the gull took 

 its j)lace on the surface of the water. In a 

 few seconds he was off to repeat the game 

 on another duck, and so it went on. The vic- 

 tim always dove in time, the gull never picked 

 up any food or appeared to be looking for 

 anything the duck might have dropped, and 

 the other ducks swam close to the marauding 

 gull without any show of fear on their part 

 or of malice on the part of the gull. I believe 

 that the whole performance was in the nature 

 of play between the different species living in 

 a familiar and friendly manner in the same 

 region. 



I Avas once watching an immature herring 

 130 



