A few years after my visit, no connection that I’m aware of, the local by-laws were tightened in 2008 to prohibit feeding the pigeons, by then not only a long established feature of St Marks square but also becoming a headache for the authorities. I saw street vendors selling seed to attract the birds, and they seemed to be part of the local tradition with a wedding couple covered in them for their photographs. Since then the online conversation has shifted to predatory pigeons dive bombing unsuspecting, even phobic, tourists to steal food, although I suspect something of urban myth about this – more likely to be seagulls diving to snatch food, they’re quick learners. There seems to be something almost primaeval about this, so I was not a little surprised to read (as I was putting these photos together) that fossil evidence indicated giant birds of prey targeted and killed early human ancestors and their infants. Maybe some seemingly inexplicable human phobias stem from deep rooted ancestral memories and survival instincts inherited from our forebears.