Extra Topping

This is a monument to the Scots Greys, a cavalry regiment. It's a beautiful sculpture and stands in Princes Street Gardens, in the shadow of the Castle, as they say - except today it was in brilliant sunshine, and the Castle was a dark mass against the clear blue sky (see extra).

I can't remember when I first noticed the little addition to the horseman's bearskin, but now I find my eyes drawn to it every time I pass. 

I suppose it is to deter seagulls from perching there. Or any kind of bird - but it always seems to be seagulls on statues' heads, I wonder why?