GULLS AT ST. IVES 



21 



drowned in the tempest of hard, piercing, and grinding 

 metallic noises emitted by the bigger birds. 



All this noise and fury and scurry of wings of 

 innumerable white forms, mixed up with boats and 

 busy shouting men, comes to be regarded by the 

 people concerned as a necessary part of the whole 

 business, and the bigger the bird crowd and the louder 

 the uproar the better they appear to like it. For their 

 gulls are very dear to them. 



One morning when looking on and enjoying the 

 noisy scene, I saw 

 one of the smaller 

 boats left unatten- 

 ded by the men. 

 They had thrown 

 a canvas over the 

 fish, but this the 

 gulls soon succeeded 

 in pulling aside ; 

 then those overhead 

 converging poured 

 down in the form of 

 a white column, and 

 the boat was covered 

 from stem to stern 

 with a mass of birds 

 madly fighting for 



the herrings. The men in other boats close by 

 looked on and laughed ; by and by they began shout- 

 ing, but this had no effect, and the struggling and 

 feasting went on until the master of the boat returned 



ftLC 



A CORNISH FISHERMAN 



