Identifier: birdsinlondon00huds (find matches)
Title: Birds in London
Year: 1898 (1890s)
Authors: Hudson, W. H. (William Henry), 1841-1922
Subjects: Birds -- England London
Publisher: London, New York, Bombay, Longmans, Green and co.
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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he following spring—March1897. A favourite pastime of mine during thewinter months was to feed these park gulls withsprats, which were plentiful and could be boughtanywhere for one penny a pound, or in quantitiesfor about a farthing the pound. Gulls cannotlive by bread alone ; it is true that even inLondon they do not, like the blubber-eatingGreenlander, spew it out of their mouths, forthey will eat almost anything, but it is notpartaken of Avith zest, and even with a crop-fullthey do not feel that they have dined. Howevermuch bread they had had, no sooner wouldthey see the silvery gleam of a little tossed-upsprat than there would be a universal scream ofexcitement, a rush from all sides, and the wholewhite vociferous crowd would be gathered beforeme, almost brushing my face with their wings,sweeping round and ruuiid, joyfully feasting onthe little fishes, cast to them in showers, to bedeftly cauglit before tliey touched the water. Sr)me of the bijds, 1 x )l(lei- or more intelligent
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FEEDING THE GULLS IN ST. JAMESs PARK MOVEMENTS OF LONDON BIRDS 149 than their fellows, would actually take thesprats from the hand. A very few days before writing this chapterend, on January 30, 1898, I passed by thewater and saw the gulls there, where indeedthey have spent most of the daylight hourssince the first week in October. It was a roughwild morning ; the hurrying masses of darkcloud cast a gloom below that was like twilight;and though there was no mist the trees andbuildings surrounding the park appeared vagueand distant. The water, too, looked strange inits intense blackness, which was not hidden bythe silver-grey light on the surface, for the sur-face was everywhere rent and broken by thewind, showing the blackness beneath. Some ofthe gulls—about 150 I thought—were on thewater together in a close flock, tailing off to apoint, all with their red beaks pointing one wayto the gale. Seeing them thus, sitting high astheir manner is, tossed up and down with thetumbling water

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