Winter Immigrants I was told over the telephone the other
day that the owner of some neighbouring farmland was amazed at the number and variety of gulls that were seen flying overhead, following the plough and even waiting for the appearance of the plough. The inland movement, which has been everywhere noticed, continues to increase. • The light tern-like black-headed gulls compete for the nuggets thrown up by the plough with the great black-backs and the large herring-gulls. The so-called common gull (which, like common sense, is Most uncommon) and even the glaucons gull have been seen. • The harvett of the eyes of observers about the estuaries, especially in Eastern England, has never been so varied. Such an unexpected bird as the goosander has been watched daily on the Thames within London. Farmers as well as bird watchers are delighted. The gulls do nothing, but good to the firth, though they are a savage race enough. Indeed, the greater black- back, which however still keeps to the coast, is perhaps the savages' bird that flies. The only people who lffive qualms about this growing invasion are the game-keepers. Will the birds stay till the spring and attack the nests of partridge and pheasant, as on seine seaside moon they now hunt for the nests of the grouse?
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