66 
NATURE NOTES 
whole leg and the stump. I have tried to snapshot her, but in 
vain : the camera appears suspicious, and she declines to sit long 
enough. The other bird is well-known locally to numbers of 
people, and sits on a dyke along which the main street of the 
town runs. He is locally known by the same name as that of 
a townsman, and is the recipient of many little offerings at the 
hands of many, which he takes out of the donor’s hand. 
For over six years I had another one which came regularly 
to the house to be fed. On opening the dining-room window 
which overlooked the lawn, where he often sat, he would, on 
being called, come and eat bread off the window-sill. He was 
a perfect terror to the other gulls, which he would fight and 
chase, his favourite mode of attack being to catch hold of the 
tail of another and hang on, and though the one attacked would 
sometimes run the whole length of the lawn, he kept hold like 
grim death. He was very fond of out-of-the-way dishes, things 
which must have been quite foreign, bits of currant cake and 
lobster. One day about Christmas time I presented him 
with the carcass of a cooked goose. This he appreciated highly 
and got good pickings off it. While he was engaged discussing 
it another gull was busy watching. Judge of the writer’s sur- 
prise when gull No. i, after being apparently satisfied, allowed 
No. 2 to have a picking. While No. 2 was enjoying the treat, 
No. I kept going round him, with a view apparently of keeping 
others off. On No. 2 having whetted his appetite the remains 
were divided up, each departing with his portion. Gulls, or at 
least some of them, are great gluttons, and I have seen them 
gorging themselves to such an extent as to render themselves 
incapable of flight for any great distance. At times I have seen 
one of my gull friends, when he saw I was going to feed him, 
disgorging a lot of fish bones and then turn round and eat 
bread. During the herring-fishing season they are well supplied 
with offal, but many of them are not content with this form of 
food, and raid the herring barrels filled with fish, upon which 
the lids are only loosely laid at night. 
During the whole year the gulls of my acquaintance visit me 
daily, with the exception of the breeding season, when they pay 
a flying visit, as if it were for the purpose of letting me know 
1 had not been forgotten by them. 
No doubt many people unac(]uainted with the gull family 
will be apt to think my sketch extravagant. I cannot blame 
them, for personally, if 1 had not studied their habits closely for 
years, but had been told what 1 have experienced, 1 would not 
have credited it. Watching the gulls is a harmless and enter- 
taining pleasure, and many people would derive much informa- 
tion and pleasure from following my example. Let them try, 
and they will not be disappointed. 
TnuLii. 
