150 BIKDS 



rarely allowed other gulls to sit near him, but in the 

 springtime he always had a mate, and at the back end of 

 the year there would be two silly-looking young ones who 

 kept him on the move. 



PETER SINCLAIR. 



August 23, 1919. 



NOTE. One requires, of course, more evidence, but this 

 story points to the possibility that gulls, or some gulls, 

 have leaders and perhaps sentries, like wild geese, cranes, 

 seals, elephants, antelopes, and other animals. Flocks, 

 at any rate, are not mobs a mere aggregation of units 

 since intelligent action on behalf of the society by the 

 individuals composing it is a condition of its survival. 



" As the social instincts both of man and of the lower 

 animals have no doubt been developed by nearly the same 

 steps, it would be advisable to take as the standard of 

 morality, the general good and welfare of the community." 



Thus Darwin. 



A TAME KOOK 



I had a tame rook many years ago. I picked him up 

 under the rookery and brought him up by hand. At 

 first he was housed in a cage, but his wings were never 

 clipped, and as soon as he could fly he took to roosting 

 in a silver birch in the garden. He was called Jack, and 

 would always come or answer when called. There was a 

 rookery near, and the birds would fly round and round 

 over the garden calling to him. He would cock his head 

 aside and look up at them, but never showed any dis- 

 position to join them. I was farming at the time, and 

 Jack used to accompany me round. He would follow 

 the hoers and haymakers at their work, watching for 

 what might be under the swathe as it was turned over. 

 He would come to the town a mile and a half away 

 with me too, flying home when the outskirts were reached. 

 He was a great tease. Nothing pleased him more than 



