Free Republic

Nobel prizewinner took short cuts to show that the way gulls feed is instinctive. Herring gull chicks instinctively peck at red spots on their parents' bills to beg for food.Imagebroker / Alamy One of the most famous experiments in biology isn't the solid piece of work it's usually portrayed as, say Dutch researchers who have replicated the study. Instead, it's more like an anecdote that became slightly more legendary each time its author retold the story.The work in question was done in 1947 by the Dutch researcher Niko Tinbergen on the begging behaviour of herring-gull chicks. At the time, the...