BIRDS AT PLAY

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 June 1930, Page 10

BIRDS AT PLAY

DIVERSIONS OF SEAGULLS;' ' z.

Many birds seem to possess, ip sense of fun—an idea of playing;,...\ggmep with each other, pad even ,pf..uei;petrating a practical joke. , Jhq'l-gi’.ow family, says a writer in ‘The Tipies,’ are most gifted, one would thipjt, with bird humour, and ip particular the jackdaw—have we not the “JapkdavY of Rheims”?—and the ciiqpgh. .. A tariie chough, 1 knew well many years ago was never weary, fit tweaking the house dog’s tail as he lay asleep, and then instantly taking cover; on his native sea cliffs, too, the chough is a most amusing fellow. Even the stately raven unbends, especially in spring time, and engages in drolleries with his mate. The starling, ah so, is on occasion full of Tvliinisies, as anyone can testify who watches him with his kind. I have seen one oyster catcher bump into another standing happily in a doze on one leg, and knock him over.

But seagulls are biyds .that do ii.o,t on first thought, readily, associate themselves with humorqpp fanejep, The bigger ones have such g cold, baleful eye, and look too sinister fqr play, and yet it is of one pf tjiem the”herring gull, that thp following ife cident is related.

On a certain chimney of a house near a southern sea cliff is a revolving cowl that appears to be unusually lose; it, spins round with a very slight wind. This cowl is beloved of herring gulls that congregate thickly in this neighbourhood, and the precarious seat is seldom for long untenanted, though there is only room for one at a time. In a gentle breeze a gull will maintain its balance in. fair comfort by a judicious shifting 0 of its feet as. the cowl revolves at ah easy pace. But a sudden gust oh a stiffening of the wind causes a more rapid spinning, and then the fun bpgjps. In a moment or two the gull, im-ppite of clever footwork, finds its equilibrium completely upset, there ip a loud squaking and a wild llutigr qf big wings, then off it goes with a great commotion in ludicrous disarray, and another is ready to take its place, and yet another as each, despite its struggles, loses its balance in turn. The efforts "of the competitors are punctuated by loud cackling-.. Aries from the gull spectators who cluster on the adjoining housetops.' Whether marks are scored and the game is won by the most agile and'lasting performer one cannot tell, but it almost seems so! Gulls, Jike \other creatures, get tired of a game;;yAfter a spell of these gymnastics tly off in search of food or some, otjipr amusement, and for a while ..the cowl is deserted. -

A favourite diversion with -many species of gulls, as also' witlv ro'qks and crows, is to carry crabs, mussels;, and other shellfish from the beach t.o some height and drop them on stones or hard sand beneath. (In this same way did the eagle of old drop the tortoise on the ill-fated bald . head of Aeschylus in mistake for a stone). This process is repeated sometimes for an hour, number of gulls being engaged in it at the same time. Some gulls have a habit of padding with their feet —one might almost terms it dancing—on wet sand or mud uncovered by the ebbing tide, in order to attract worms to the surface., I have watched both herring and black-headed gulls perform these gptics, several together strung out in a line. Once while -so engaged two herring gulls emitted queer grunting sounds at regular intervals, s.q tjiis performance became a veritable “song and dance.” It. is'aiT odd custom, but, judging by results, not unprofitable. In many places where gulls are fed frequently some of . them become very familiar, sidling up and takingsnatching, perhaps, is the better word —food from one’s hand. Some years ago the inhabitants of a cottage in Sark succeeded in taming a herring gull to an unusual degree. It came very often for food at all times of the year, pattering about inside the cottage as well as around the garden. In winter, when doors and windows were shut, it tappet) imperiously at the window. On being let in it made for the hearth, and warmed itself at the fire between the cat and dog, who, from long habit, made no attempt to molest it.