THE ZooLocistT—JaNvARY, 1875. 4285 
a favourite morsel, and he would follow me for a long distance when 
I happened to be carrying a gun. Once I gave him, for a single meal, two 
buntings, a twite, a sparrow, two snow buntings, and a ringed plover, and 
even then he followed me for more. Birds, fish and mice were always 
swallowed head foremost. During the first two years he kept almost entirely 
to the ground, only occasionally sitting upon a stone or low wall; but after- 
wards the roof of the house was preferred, from which elevated position he 
used suddenly to pounce down either to rob a fish-basket or to scatter a 
company of feeding ducks. But this was merely as a diversion, not as a 
necessity, for from the time of his first taking up his position on the roof 
he also began regularly to procure his own meals, flying to the voe for that 
purpose, and, after remaining there for an hour or two, returning to his 
former station by the chimney. He never showed any desire to escape, but, 
on the contrary, he became more and more attached to his human friends. 
Strangers who attempted to handle him ran the risk of becoming acquainted 
with the sharpness of his mandibles, and of being scared by the unearthly 
croaking which always accompanied the bite. Being one of his especial 
friends, I was permitted to stroke and handle him with impunity, and he 
would even fly several hundred yards to meet me when [ called him. _ The 
kitchen fire was his great delight, and he would bask near it for hours, but 
at such times it was imprudent to leave either fish or flesh within his reach: 
once he carried off a newly-skinned rabbit, and at another time he attacked 
a living duck, and even succeeded in swallowing the head and part of the 
neck before a rescue could be effected. He would sometimes extend his 
explorations beyond the kitchen, wandering through the passages as calmly 
as if the house were his own, but always betraying himself by the loud flap 
of his great webbed feet upon the flags. For about the first year of his 
life the iris of the eye was of a brownish colour, then it became pale bluish 
green, and towards the end of the second twelvemonths bright emerald-green. 
During the third year he rapidly acquired his adult plumage; but just as 
this was approaching to perfection he was unfortunately killed by an old 
half-blind dog, which in former days had been celebrated for its address in 
seizing and killing wounded cormorants.”—P. 318. 
I have long known and maintained that the gull tribe were 
friends of the farmer, following the plough and feasting on the 
upturned larve of moths, elaters and chaffers, and on worms and 
mice wherever they have been abundant; and most devoutly do 
I wish that farmers throughout our country, with the evidence of 
this before their eyes, would entertain just sentiments towards all 
their feathered benefactors, or at least learn to understand their 
various doings, whether for good or ill. I am perfectly aware there 
are some who do so, some who combine the naturalist with the 
SECOND SERIES—VOL. X. D 
