94 BRITISH BIRDS. WITH THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 



omnivorous; carrion, however foul, putrid fish, or any floating refuse, conies by 

 no means amiss, when more tempting prey is scarce. 



"Any one who has spent much time punt-gunning on the Highland Firths 

 along the north-east coast during the first quarter of the year . . . must have been 

 much annoyed by the presence of these Black-backs. No sooner does the gunner 

 make preparations for approaching an unsuspecting bunch of fowl, than three or 

 four screaming Gulls gather over the flock and after flying round for a time their 

 excitement increases as the punt draws near, till at last darting down open-inouthed 

 they drive every bird from the water and put an end to all chance of a shot . , 

 . . In my notes for 1869, while shooting in the Dornoch Firth, I find that on 

 March 15, at least half-a-dozen fair shots at bunches of Pintails, all fine drakes, 

 were lost by the Gulls constantly keeping in attendance." 



Mr. Harting notes, of a specimen he kept in captivity for some years, that 

 the tame bird fully exemplified its omnivorous habits. "Nothing seems to come 

 amiss to him meat, both raw and cooked, fish, mice, small birds, snails, worms, 

 flies, are all consumed in turns as opportunity offers. If a live mouse is turned 

 down on the lawn before him, he at once gives chase, and coursing rapidly in 

 pursuit of it, like a Wagtail after a fly, seizes it with unerring aim behind the 

 head, and after a sharp pinch or two, which crushes the skull and larger bones, 

 the unfortunate mouse is swallowed whole. Sparrows and other small birds are 

 treated in the same way, being invariably first crushed and then swallowed, head 

 first whole. In this way I have seen him take five sparrows in rapid succession." 



