LAST week I was watching a herring gull chick emerging from its egg. On the top of the bill of each young bird is a structure known as an egg tooth.

This works like a sharp chisel and the young birds bash the inside of the egg until the shell breaks. Once the young gull has escaped and dries out, the egg tooth drops off because it is obviously not needed any more.

There is nothing more pathetic-looking than a young bird which is still wet after hatching. Some song birds are hatched naked and look like little reptiles.

Gulls, however, have more feathers on them and soon learn to walk about and demand food from their parents. But they wouldn't escape from the egg if it was not for the egg tooth!

It's a tough old life for a young rabbit

I THINK I managed to save the life of one young rabbit. As I was walking I disturbed a weasel which darted out right under my feet.

When I looked down, I found a young rabbit. At this stage of their life rabbits are vulnerable to predators especially weasels, stoats, foxes and badgers.

I picked up the little rabbit to check that it had no injuries. It was scared but otherwise it seemed to be fine.

Within 10 minutes it had recovered and was eating. Thankfully the weasel had gone but survival for young rabbits is far from easy.

Plants and potions

ONE of our most interesting native flowers is the foxglove. The normal colour is purple but in some areas white specimens occur.

Obviously the white specimens are genetically different but just why this is so is still something of a mystery.

All parts of the foxglove are poisonous because the plant contains digitalis which can be dangerous. However, the foxglove has been - carefully- used for many years in the treatment of heart disease but obviously this depends upon the right dose being used.

This is still the case today and in the 19th Century, Dr MacKenzie, a Burnley GP, did a lot of research on the use of foxglove.

The bell-like structure of the flowers is pollinated by bees. These insects crawl right into the flower and collect the pollen. This shows that not all living organisms are adversely affected by the poisons which affect the human species.