THE WOMBAT. 39 
THE PEEWIT’S SUZERAIN.. 
(From the Saturday Review.) 
By EDMUND SELOUS. 
J is a matter of common knowledge that sevéral of the skuas—_ 
jneluding the two species which visit our northern coasts—obtain ’ 
their food by the systematic robbery of gulls and terns, sv that, in” 
this curious, piratical manner, they may be said to be parasitical upon ° 
them. I am not sure if it is equally well known that similar 
relations exist between the black-headed gull and at least one — 
species of land bird—the peewit; but such is certainly the case, — 
and, although this debased way of feeding has not, as ‘would seem — 
to bé the case with the skuas, usurped all others, yet it is practised 
almost as eommonly and carried out with the same degree of - 
professional skill. ‘The gull, as might be expected, is the aggressor, _ 
and nothing is more interesting than to lie at full length upon “ the - 
slope of some wind-swept down” and see the thing going on during ~ 
a whole morning or afternoon. The gulls—few in number, having — 
regard to the extent of territory ever which they work—stand — 
motionless and watch the peewits as from so many little observ-_ 
atories. Of a sudden one rises, 2nd at the same moment you catch — 
the jerk forward of a peewit’s head in the act’ of seizing’ something” 
on the ground... As he jerks it up again he sees the gull. which is 
now almost upou him, and instantly takes to flight, followed by the 
latter, who, as soon as he is discovered, raises a loud, wailing “cry 
‘which seems to have in it something of an upbraiding quality, as — 
though reproaching the peewit for its ungenerous behaviour. The — 
peewit, uncivilised and knowing not what blessings are, exerts 
itself to the utmost, labours at first its broad, green fans, then — 
suspending their motion shoots upwards, poises and comes rushing 
down in oné—and then another—of those bold, gliding sweeps that 
we all know in him and all applaud. The gull pursues with cry — 
on cry, draws near, overtakes, lays, as it were, alongsile, but seems _ 
purposely to refrain from actual violence, {here is turn and turn, — 
double and double, then all at once the pursuer, checking suddenly — 
and often with difficulty its swift full sail, drops plumb to the — 
ground, picks up and devours something greedily, and either _ 
remains standing there, or with a satisfied look flies off to another — 
part of the field.’ The peewit, it is obvious, has been forced to drop _ 
whatever it had, upon which the gull has stopped the chase, descend~ _ 
ed atid made the morsel his. When one sees this once, one may — 
think—for it is not easy to admit directly the facts—that the gull 
has by chance seen something on the ground and that the chase 
itself has been a more or less catiseless act of aggréssion, But as _ 
the’sameé thing happens again and again—goes bn happening, in 
