330 
LARIM. 
so disporting themselves, as if in pure enjoyment of the delightful 
day. They seemed to feel, with Moore, 
“ Blest power of sunshine, genial day. 
What balm, what life is in thy ray, 
To feel thee is such real bliss,” See. 
This interesting flight was formed by the birds, singly or in 
pairs, circling round from all points, so as to be going in opposite 
directions, thereby constituting the strange diversity I had so 
often witnessed under similar circumstances. At such times they 
are perfectly silent, — never breaking the stillness of the empyrean 
with one discordant sound. 
January 1, 1842. — I watched for a long time about sixty of 
these gulls “ following the plough,” in a field adjoining Park- 
mount, on the western side of the bay, where it was beautiful to 
observe them, their manner was so playful and full of life. They 
kept in a close flock generally, within ten or twelve yards of the 
plough in its progress, and were frequently not more than one or 
two yards distant from the ploughman's head. Hovering en 
masse over the newly turned-up furrows, one or several together 
dropped down as their prey appeared. They called all the time, 
though on other occasions of the kind I have particularly remarked 
their silence. On the 18th of the month above one hundred came 
under my notice in the same manner, on the county Down side of 
the bay. In the numerous fields already ploughed around the 
one in which the process was going forward, not a single gull was 
to be seen. They may be remarked similarly engaged about hus- 
bandmen employed in harrowing. 
Farmers generally are so very unwilling to admit that any 
birds do them good, I quote the following with much satis- 
faction : — With reference to a great breeding-haunt, Scoulton 
Mere, in Norfolk, and known as such for above three centuries, 
we are told that “ now and then a year of jubilee is given, and no 
eggs taken ; this was done lately at the instance of the neigh- 
bouring farmers, who justly value the services of these birds in 
the destruction of grubs, &c.”* 
* Lubbock’s ‘Fauna of Norfolk,’ p. 123 (1845). 
