BREYDON IN LEISURELY AUTUMN 165 



eel flung its tail round the red upper mandible and tightly 

 twisted itself, to the discomfort and annoyance of the bird, 

 which ran about trying to shake off the coil. Down dropped 

 the eel he had it again. The eel was becoming weaker, 

 but still struggled when the gull by a great effort swallowed 

 it. But out popped the eel's tail again, and the bird had to 

 vomit the rest of it. The eel was not smitten with its ex- 

 perience, and again protested vigorously against a renewal 

 of it. The gull swallowed it again, and once more ejected 

 it ; but on the third attempt, made desperate by another 

 gull coming up to investigate, the catcher got it down, and, 

 by holding his head high and straightening his neck, suc- 

 ceeded finally in imprisoning it. The swellings and writhings 

 in the bird's neck, visible even to myself, could not have 

 been comfortable to him ; but I will vow that was not the 

 first eel he had tackled. At last the eel must have suc- 

 cumbed, for the gull, assuming his ordinary freeness of 

 deportment, walked deliberately to a puddle and sipped 

 with ease. 



The prettiest birds upon the wing were the little terns. 

 There were several about, both old and very immature young. 

 Hither and thither, mostly with heads to wind, they flew, 

 with bills pointed vertically downward, ready the moment 

 those keen eyes detected a little herring dashing about below 

 to fall upon it, seldom to miss their aim ; and when any 

 small fry had been secured, away they went to the edge of 

 a flat, where the youngsters, with the up-winged fussiness of 

 pigeon squabs, snatched at and caught the fish as it dropped 

 from the parental bill. The light, airy-winged creatures were 

 beautiful to look at, and one was glad the month's extension 

 of close time (to all save ducks) gave the fairy-like tern 

 a chance of passing south before the indiscriminating gunner 

 had the opportunity to destroy such feathered gems. 



There were wonderfully few herons about that day. Two 

 only were within view one a bird of the year, the 

 other, I should say, a " three-year-old." The latter I saw 

 strike an eel in the "run" he was standing knee-deep in. 

 The eel weighed, I should say, at least half a pound and, 

 tightly gripping the lively fish, the heron walked deliberately 

 out on to the flat. For fully ten minutes the bird played 

 with it played, I say but there was no doubt, in letting the 



