WATCHING GULLS AND SKUAS 119 



to be left in peace. Now, amongst a crowd of birds 

 like this, the greater number would be unable to see 

 whether the one they were pursuing had swallowed his 

 morsel or not, and would therefore keep pressing about 

 him in the hope of being able to snatch at it. But, of 

 course when birds that were hustled began to disgorge, 

 this would be noticed and soon remembered, and they 

 would then be hustled so that they might do so. In 

 this, or in some similar way, I can understand the habit 

 arising without any initial act of intelligence on the 

 pursuing bird's part. 



Perhaps, however, there would be no great unlikeli- 

 hood in assuming such an act of intelligence. For one 

 gull to conceive the idea of making another bring up 

 what it had swallowed, might not be so very much 

 more than for the sea-eagle to think, in regard to the 

 osprey with the fish in his talons, " I'll make him drop 

 it." With all the gull tribe the bringing up of the 

 food again after swallowing it is an easy and habitual 

 action. Not only are the young fed thus, but I 

 have some reason to think that, during the nuptial 

 season, the presenting in this manner of some " pretty 

 little tiny kickshaw " by the male bird to the female is 

 looked upon as a chivalrous and lover-like act. Perhaps 

 such acts are reciprocal, but I will give my two little 

 instances and let my readers draw their own con- 

 clusions. The first is the case of a herring-gull. I 

 was watching the mother bird (as I suppose) sitting 

 on the nest over two young ones, one of which had 

 been hatched either only that day or the day before, 

 and the other a day or two earlier. "At 12 o'clock a 

 chick moves out from under the mother, and leaves the 

 nest. It is quite active, and has the general appearance 



