[mills] comparative PHYSIOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGY 297 



some of the bread, pecked at the dish and then looked into the trough 

 from which the birds were usually fed. The paper was then removed 

 by us when at once two of the gulls bolted the meat. 



Next day the experiment was repeated. At once one of the 

 smaller birds snatched the paper away and attempted to devour it. 

 The larger bird seemed more cautious, he stepped forward pecked at 

 the pan and at once stepped back. This experiment was repeated on two 

 occasions afterwards, on both of which the smallest bird seized the 

 paper and made persistent attempts to tear it up and to swallow it. 



A piece of meat was wrapped in white paper, when this same bird 

 attempted to swallow the paper, apparently not being aware that the 

 meat was in it till it fell out when it was at once bolted, but just 

 after the paper also. 



Next, meat was placed in red flannel and placed in water sur- 

 rounded by bread in the usual way. At once the smallest bird that 

 had been so ready to act before, seized the flannel, and running off 

 screaming tried to swallow it. These efforts were persistent. 



Two days later the birds did not seem very eager for food though 

 intentionally kept without it the day before. Pieces of meat were 

 wrapped in paper of various colours, — pink, yellow, blue, and also in 

 one case in black cloth. These were put in a dish containing water 

 and with bread floating in it as usual. They pulled out the pink 

 package first, then the yellow, next the black cloth, and finally the 

 blue paper. Though they pecked vigorously at the paper they -did not 

 seem to be aware of the presence of the meat, and no attempt was 

 made to secure it when it dropped from the paper on the floor. It 

 was picked up, then dropped again suddenly, the paper apparently 

 receiving more attention than the meat. 



]\Ieat was then placed in the feeding trough, but was not taken 

 up, the birds seeming to be more inclined to enjoy bathing in the 

 water than eating. One of the birds was not in good physical con- 

 dition, so it was decided to discontinue these experiments, in all of 

 which I had been sympathetically assisted by Mr. G. E. Lannin, an 

 undergraduate in ]\Iedicine of McGill University. 



Conclusions : 



1. It is difficult to believe that smell was well developed in these 

 gulls, but vision, including colour vision, was good. 



2. Coloured papers seemed to exert some peculiar and attractive 

 influence over them. This fact makes it difficult to draw safe con- 

 clusions in regard to the question of a colour-food association or reflex. 



