LEARNING TO LIVE 195 



by another, as is indeed common among birds. Indeed, 

 to find one in a large room in the summer twilight, the 

 quickest way was to set loose another. In confirmation 

 of what has been remarked by Thorndike, it may be noted 

 that one of the young gulls used to follow a little boy's 

 bare feet persistently over the lawn, nestling beside them 

 when he stood still. 



Finally, it may be noticed that while there was for 

 three or four weeks great tameness and familiarity on the 

 part of the young gulls, the wild shyness and suspicion 

 seemed to grow quickly after they were able to rise from 

 the ground. The species is, of course, migratory, and there 

 seemed to be a growing restlessness towards the end of 

 July. But this may have been prompted by adults who 

 occasionally flew round and round overhead. It was 

 noteworthy, however, that there was a return of tameness 

 on the part of a younger bird after the flight of its senior 

 left it alone in the garden. It was once seen, for instance, 

 to thread its way through a group of children squatted on 

 the lawn, and coolly appropriate a strawberry from one 

 of the plates. 



