326 THE ZOOLOGIST, 



misfortune to be either at all rare or possessed of unusual beauty, 

 they have been gradually driven, by continual persecution, from 

 their old haunts, and now only an occasional pair makes an 

 attempt to rear a brood in the neighbourhood. The locality 

 seems so admirably suited to their wants and habits that it is a 

 great pity they are not more strictly protected. On both banks 

 of the river, but particularly the right bank, there is a good deal 

 of broken and uncultivated ground, — mostly sand, covered more 

 or less with whin bushes and brakes, and abounding in rabbits' 

 holes ; while the saltings and mud-flats afford an inexhaustible 

 supply of food in the shape of small Mollusca, such as Hydrobia 

 ulvce, Conovulus denticulatus, LittorincBf&c., as well as innumerable 

 small Crustacea, and other minute forms of animal life. Saw 

 to day three large Gulls (Herring or Black-backed), circling for 

 some time above a farmhouse near the river ; some small chickens, 

 in coops, had I believe attracted their attention. An instance of 

 a captive Herring Gull devouring chickens occurs in * The 

 Zoologist' for May, 1888, p. 186, the recorder of which also 

 mentions a case where a Gull of this species was seen at a stack, 

 feeding on mice. While on the subject of the rapacious habits 

 of this group of Gulls, the following may be worth mentioning : 

 — The stomach of a fine old male Great Black-backed Gull, 

 shot a few years back at Leiston, contained the body of a very 

 large rat. During and after floods a few of these big Gulls used 

 to frequent the Leiston marshes, keeping to the higher ground, 

 which remained uncovered by the surrounding waste of waters, 

 where Moles, Field Voles and Shrews were of necessity congre- 

 gated in some numbers. The many castings left on the spot were 

 composed principally of the bones and fur of these animals, those 

 of the Mole being particularly abundant. 



15th. Saw both the SheJlducks this morning gradually working 

 their way towards the nest, at about the same time of day as 

 before (between half-past nine and ten). To anyone not in their 

 secret they would merely appear to be lazily feeding, or paddling 

 about at the edge of the saltings, — in fact taking it easy. When 

 they had, in this manner, arrived at a point opposite the nest, but 

 on the further side of the river, both birds got up and took a 

 sweep round the nest as before ; one only reappearing, and 

 remaining about the saltings for the rest of the day. This clever 

 little piece of acting I saw repeated on several subsequent 



