28 DECEMBER 1907, Page 17

GULLS AND DABCHICKS.

[TO THE EDITOR OF THE " spicarsTon..] SIR,—Yesterday (December 19th) in St. James's Park I again saw the blackheaded gulls chasing two dabchicks. The latter always dived to escape their pursuers, but as soon as they came up again the gulls swooped on them like birds of prey, and the poor little dabchicks were kept continuously diving. One gull actually attacked a waterhen, but the waterhen took to the wing, and escaped underneath the overhanging branches of a tree, where the gull did not follow it. On the other hand, many waterhens swain about among the gulls, and even rested with them on the rocky islets south of the peninsula, and were