ON THE BEHAVIOUR OF YOUNG GULLS ARTIFICIALLY HATCHED. 379 



Hatched with open eyes, which did not wink on the approach of a 

 finger, the young birds showed no sign of any fear. A notable fact is 

 their extraordinary self-possession throughout, though suspiciousness 

 gradually grows on them.' They pecked within a few hours after 

 hatching both at finger and spoon, with or without food, but with a lack 

 of precision. They also pecked at the cotton- wool of their beds. Many 

 of the first day's peckings missed, but the learning was very rapid. It 

 was observed that in precision of early pecking the young gulls were far 

 ahead of young coots. Even on the first day some fed I'epeatedly and 

 heartily, but this varied with the individual. 



Some preening was observed on the first day, and the general 

 vertebrate action of raising the hind foot to scratch the head — seen in 

 frog, lizard, chick, kitten, &c. — was frequently noticed. Almost from 

 the first, too, there was a slight use of the wings in balancing. 



On the first day one turned its head towards the cheep of another in 

 a separate compartment of the incubator and cheeped as if in response ; 

 a third, still within the egg (chipped), often uttered a note, twice repeated, 

 when the others did. Little or no attention was paid to noises, except 

 to a prolonged low whistle, which was followed by cowering, even on 

 the first day. 



Second Day. — On the second day the pecking was vigorous and precise : 

 the birds followed bright objects by moving the head and neck, and pecked 

 at them in motion. They attended to sleeve-links, ring, silver spoon, 

 •fee. ; they looked up or cheeped when I tapped at the window of the 

 incubator, but they took no heed of snapping fingers, ring of spoon on a 

 glass beaker, rubbing of cork on glass, and many other striking noises. 

 They shrank a little from a sharp hand-clap close to them, but did not 

 cower. A prolonged low whistle again made them crouch in silence, but 

 after a number of trials on the same day (second) one of them entirely 

 ceased to attend to it. It would be interesting to discover if there is in 

 the normal environment some alarming sound corresponding to the 

 prolonged low whistle, but I cannot make any plausible suggestion which 

 would apply to the gullery observed. Later on there was obvious associa- 

 tion of certain sounds with the advent or discovery of food. 



The sensitiveness to cold — which repeatedly led to a reduction in the 

 number of young birds — was still very marked on the second day. Even 

 on a rug before the fire one would creep into my hands or crawl up my 

 sleeve, apparently for warmth. At the pond many young birds seemed in 

 a state comparable to cold-coma, and it may be suggested that this will 

 tend to prevent premature excui'sions, which would in many cases 

 inevitably land the young birds in the water. A gentle pecking under 

 shelter, e.g., of trouser-leg, suggested pecking at the mother's coverts. 



As is well known, the adults are very combative, and it was interesting 

 to observe a fight early on the second day of life. Beth pecked at Aleph's 

 bill, Aleph responded, and there was a combat so forcible that separation 

 seemed advisable. It was interesting in connection with these youthful 

 combats to notice the interlocking of the bills just as may be observed in 

 adults. As has been pointed out, these bill-wrestlings are of biological 



' I may note here that in early days the presence oE cat or dog does not seem to 

 excite any attention ; later on there is alerr attention, but no apparent fear : a 

 gull two to three weeks old will run at a fox-terrier and peck its nose ; but later 

 on, before they fly off, when about a month old, the bjrds utter the alarm cry 

 and retreat on the sudden appearance of a cat or dog. 



