MOVEMENTS OF LONDON BIRDS 149 



than their fellows, would actually take the 

 sprats from the hand. 



A very few days before writing this chapter 

 end, on January 30, 1898, I passed by the 

 water and saw the gulls there, where indeed 

 they have spent most of the daylight hours 

 since the first week in October. It was a rough 

 wild morning ; the hurrying masses of dark 

 cloud cast a gloom below that was like twilight ; 

 and though there was no mist the trees and 

 buildings surrounding the park appeared vague 

 and distant. The water, too, looked strange in 

 its intense blackness, which was not hidden by 

 the silver-grey light on the surface, for the sur- 

 face was everywhere rent and broken by the 

 wind, showing the blackness beneath. Some of 

 the gulls — about 150 I thought — were on the 

 water together in a close flock, tailing off to a 

 point, all with their red beaks pointing one way 

 to the gale. Seeing them thus, sitting high as 

 their manner is, tossed up and down with the 

 tumbling water, yet every bird keeping his place 

 in the company, their whiteness and buoyancy 

 in that dark setting was quite wonderful. It 

 was a picture of black winter and beautiful wild 

 bird life which would have had a rare attraction 



