[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."]
Sue—Both yesterday- and to-day (April 3rd) I watched in St. James's Park the black-headed gull which Mr_ Crook described in your issue of March 29th. In point of fact there were two
of these albnormal one•very much more discoloured than the other. I could see no white at all on the dart-er of the two, but the tail-feathers of the other, (an immature bird) appeared to be quite nortnel. This second gull presented
rather a woe-begone appearance, and was sebvieuely ill at ease. In shallow water black-headed gulls often dive-after the manner of surface-feeding dueks—only immersing the bead and a part of the hotly. If, as I believe, this discoloration is due to artificial means, it seems possible that this particular bird, while diving, may have thrust its head and foreemanters into the colouring matter, whatever it was, while the tail and hinder parts escaped. Sinew the beginning of the war I have seen in St. James's Park several gulls-discoloured in thiserey. One in particular, which haunted the-Perk-water for a- long time in the late autumn of 1915, 'would come to take bread, and I was able to watch it almost at arm's-length. lie feathers appeared to be matted together, and the bird was continually preening itself, as though in discomfort. It has been suggested, I believe, that these dark-plumaged gulls have been pover•ed with some greasy or oily platter from sunken submarines, while swimming of the coast—I ant, Sir, Be., J. R. H.
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