Bob, was that story about the gull swallowing the harlequin duck for real?
Having seen what gulls can put down their throats, I almost can believe it,
but a harlequin duck weighs about 600 grams, a big male gull only twice
that. A rock dove would seem to be quite a mouthful, and it weighs only 300
grams. A harlequin would be a gulletful a little beyond my previous
imagination. I suppose the gull could swallow the duck because the latter
is quite compressible, but wow! I'll never feel bad about overeating on
thanksgiving again. Too bad these outrageous examples of natural history
don't get published....

Dennis Paulson