Avalon 5

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AVALON in October: We spent one morning watching herring gulls catch sand crabs in the surf.

With their hapless prey in tow, the birds flew over the beach and dropped them. Kerplunk! The fall probably befuddled the startled crustaceans. (Can a crab be addled? I know I can, especially if dropped from a great enough height.)

The gulls then landed and pecked at the beleaguered things, ripping away leg after leg. (I've seen much the same thing happen at Uncle Buck's Seafood Shack, except there is usually a dish of melted butter nearby. Word has it that crabs and lobsters feel no pain. They just slip effortlessly from the world of the living into the afterlife. Although, being drawn and quartered hardly seems effortless.)

The aquatic arthropods tried to defend themselves with their pincers but to no avail. The gulls were unrelenting. It wasn't a fair fight. Pretty brutal, if you happen to be one of the crabs. Braveheart kind of stuff.

After wards, somewhat sated, the gulls returned to the hunt.



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