372 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



of livers and fish entrails. He had dropped the birds down the 

 flue, sootying them all over, and then put them adrift much to 

 the disgust of the other birds, who treated them exceedingly 

 roughly. 



April 8th. — Two beautiful Lesser Black-backed Gulls on 

 Breydon, in company with a couple of adult Greater Black- 

 backed Gulls. The Lesser is becoming, I think, rarer here 

 yearly. Same date, saw Kedshanks plentifully distributed along 

 the Waveney river. 



April 10th. — Numbers of Linnets {Linota cannabina) passing 

 over Breydon, probably on migration. 



A Cormorant on Breydon on April 10th. 



When busy in my boat-shed on April 13th I heard a rare 

 commotion among the Gulls. On hastening out I was just in 

 time to see a Peregrine Falcon passing over to the southward 

 at a great pace, sailing and circling. It was in all probability 

 this bird that a marshman observed harassing Starlings — some 

 two thousand in a big crowd — singling out a victim it dashed at 

 and secured it. The same marshman, who was a keen shot and 

 has since joined the army, had on one occasion seen a Peregrine 

 " go for " a Grey Lag Goose. He told me the Goose doubled 

 and tried its hardest to escape, but would have been struck had 

 he not himself shot it as it dashed past him. He said he re- 

 collected a Peregrine attacking a Swan. It is a belief hereabouts 

 that this Falcon will not attack large Gulls. 



An immature Greater Black-backed Gull was pursued by 

 several others, on April 18th, across a mudflat ; it was carrying, 

 apparently, a parcel of fish entrails. Piound and round they 

 chased it, shrieking noisily. A Hooded Crow joined in the 

 chase, and actually grabbed the booty as the original finder 

 dropped it on the mud, but as he was joyfully tearing off with 

 it the first Gull dashed impetuously at him, making him drop 

 it in the water, where it sank beyond reach. On the 29th I saw 

 another quarrel between Gulls, this time upon the surface of the 

 water. Presently a bird rose with a large dead eel, which he 

 actually managed to swallow as he went upward, but imme- 

 diately disgorged it, being too lengthy to keep down, and all 

 successive attempts were futile. I made a rush into the squab- 

 bling company with the punt, when they left me in possession 



