WHERE WILD GEESE CONGREGATE 33 



tomcd to winter in the park at ITolkham. All breeding 

 species, from the hc-autiful sheldrake to the small red- 

 shank and ringed dotterel, are protected as much as 

 they can be in a place where every one has a gun and 

 wants to get something for the pot In summer the 

 common and lesser tern have their breeding place on the 

 sand-hills, and a watcher is placed there to prevent them 

 from being distributed and harried by trippers and egg- 

 stealing collectors. One curious result of the protection 

 given to the terns was that two or three years ago two 

 pairs of black-headed gulls started breeding close to 

 them. It was as if these gulls had observed what was 

 being done and had said to one another: "This is not a 

 suitable breeding-place for gulls, though a proper one 

 for terns who prefer sand and shingle; but what an 

 advantage to have a man stationed there to protect the 

 nests from being harried ! Come, let us make our nests 

 here, just on the border of the terns' gullery, on the 

 chance of our eggs coming in for protection too." The 

 experiment turned out well, and last summer no fewer 

 than sixteen pairs nested and brought off their young 

 at that spot. 



