THE GULL. 
857 
Their flesh is unpalatable, though in some localities 
young Gulls are eaten. By way of compensation, how¬ 
ever, their feathers are used in the North for stuffing 
mattrasses, and are considered equal to those of Geese. 
Yet Gull shooting is not pursued for the sake of their 
feathers, but simply for the sport it affords; and I, for 
my part, must confess, that though the amusement is 
inexcusable, still it has much to recommend it in the 
way of excitement. Their thick plumage renders it 
difficult to drop the bird; and it is a rule with sportsmen 
never to shoot at a Gull unless its eye is clearly visible. 
There is a small island on the Schlei, opposite the 
town of Schleswig, which is called “ Gull-mountain,” 
because immense numbers of the Laughing Gull ( Chroi - 
cocephalus ridibundus ) breed upon it. These Gulls yearly 
form the object of a grand battue: they are strictly 
preserved until the young are able to fly, and then, on a 
certain day, young and old go out and kill as many as 
ever a cockney sportsman could desire. 
The proprietors of the wild-fowl islands of Scandinavia 
and Jutland have drawn up a special code of laws or 
regulations for the preservation of Gulls. No one is 
permitted to shoot there, and it is especially regarded 
as unsportsman-like to shoot a bird of which neither 
flesh nor feathers can serve a useful purpose; and the 
more so when, like Gulls, they are perfectly harmless, 
and please the eyes of everyone by the grace of their 
movements and their ceaseless activity. 
All Gulls soon become used to confinement, and can be 
kept for years, provided that they are fed on fish or flesh, 
and that they are furnished with a suitable residence. 
They soon learn to recognise their keeper, coming to call, 
and greeting him on his arrival. They may be brought 
