168 BULLETIN 113, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



content to go no farther than the broad sloping sides of the nest, and there they 

 may be seen quietly dozing or tumbling about among the stems of the rushes 

 as they explore the intricacies of their little island. The greater number, how- 

 ever, put boldly out to sea and drift away with the chance breeze, their tiny 

 paddles of little avail as they pursue their now enforced journey. A gust of 

 wind a trifle harder than usual, or a bump against a floating reed stem, and 

 over they go bottomside up, only to come quickly right again, dry and fluffy 

 as ever. Having, after many failures, crawled over the tiny obstruction, they 

 sail contentedly on. Now and then they get out to sea in earnest and dis- 

 appear, and are probably lost in the rough waters of the open lake. Their 

 departure from the nests was apparently ever against the will of the old birds, 

 and many were the scoldings and severe the punishments meted out to these 

 venturesome offspring. A glance in the direction of some local outburst of 

 furious cries would reveal a bevy of gulls crowded close together, beating the air 

 and the water over a particular spot, where on closer inspection might be seen 

 one or more of these hapless truants. The frenzy of the old birds as the chicks 

 reared the open lake was pitiful to behold. With might and main they en- 

 deavored to turn them back, seeming not to realize their utter inability to stem 

 the breeze even had they the inclination to make the attempt. At last, their 

 protests of no avail, a resort is had to still more vigorous measures, and seizing 

 the drifting chicks by the nape of the neck with the powerful beak they are 

 jerked bodily and roughly out of the water, and from a height of 3 or 4 feet 

 thrown as far as possible in the desired direction. This being repeated time 

 and again — often several old birds taking part in the performance — until the 

 youngsters are at last flung into some nest, exhausted and bleeding from the 

 blows and pinches inflicted by the sharp bills of the parent birds. 



This strange spectacle was of common occurrence, and these vigorous nursery 

 duties seemed to occupy much of the attention of a goodly part of the members 

 of this colony. Probably under ordinary conditions of water and protection 

 such disturbances are less frequent. So far as the disciplining and care of the 

 young went there existed a curious spirit of communisms among these gulls. 

 An old gull cared for whatever young gulls fell in its way, and when the stray 

 chicks chanced to clamber up into a strange nest, against which they hap- 

 pened to drift, they were, after a few admonishing squawks, welcomed as one 

 of the household, and scolded, pecked, and fed just as though the foster 

 parent had laid the eggs from which they were hatched. Now and then an 

 entire brood would escape in a body, and crawling up beside some incubating 

 bird on a neighboring windward nest would cuddle close about the old bird, 

 who, to all appearances, was perfectly willing to adopt them in advance of 

 the appearance of her own infants. 



Occasionally we saw old gulls already in possession of a family twice the 

 size to which they were entitled, rushing out and pouncing upon other fresh 

 arrivals, who were quickly hustled and jerked up among the others until not 

 infrequently 10 or a dozen of these tiny balls filled the nest to overflowing, 

 and in the diversity of coloration presented plainly indicated their varied 

 parentage. 



Most jealously were these foundling asylums watched over and many were 

 the fierce encounters in midair that resulted when some marauding band 

 dared to interfere. A single gull, aided it might be by some accepted neigh- 

 bor, fed apparently without distinction all these youngsters, and time and again 

 we saw some little chap, just fished out of the water and still sore from the 

 rough usage to which he had been subjected, fed to repletion by his captor, 

 who disgorged into the tiny maw a juicy mass of dragon-fly nymphs brought 

 from the meadows a mile away. 



