JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



17 



is seldom seen near the shore, except 

 during the most severe storms, and then 

 I do not think the ratio would exceed 

 one to three hundred of the former. 

 The reason for this is that it is more 

 pelagic than the Herring Gull and unless 

 it is driven in by storms, few are seen. 



How gracefully it moves along, as 

 with slow and steady strokes of the 

 wings it moves against the wind, grad- 

 ually rising in air until a certain height 

 is gained, when with motionless wings 

 it glides oflf, quartering from the wind, 

 on a downward angle with the speed of 

 an arrow, until when about to strike the 

 crest of a wave, it suddenly mounts up- 

 ward with great rapidity, bringing itself 

 head to the wind and forging ahead and 

 upwards until the desired height is 

 reached, when it again repeats the same 

 undulating movement. Should it see 

 any food floating on the water, Avith a 

 few graceful motions of its wings it at 

 once stops its speed and returning, 

 alights near the object, stops for a mom- 

 meut, then resumes its flight. Some- 

 times when the storm is abating and the 

 sun for a moment shines out through the 

 hurrying masses of dark clouds, then is 

 the Black-back seen at its best; the light 

 shining on the pure white under parts in 

 contrast with the dark slate of the back 

 and upper parts of wings, making it 

 appear the most beautiful of our pelagic 

 species. 



During severe storms large bivalves 

 such as Cyprina islandica and the Beach 

 Clam {Spisnla soJidirsirna) are washed 

 upon the beaches. Then these species, 

 especially the Herring Gull, resort to 

 such feeding grounds. As the valves 

 of the clams are too thick and strong to 

 be broken by their bills, they will take 

 one and rising some fifty or more yards 

 in the air, drop it so it will strike on the 



hard sand, repeating this mananivre 

 until the shell is broken, when they will 

 alight on the beach and extract the con- 

 tents to their own satisfaction. Again, 

 one or more of the Herring Gulls may 

 be seen associating with a flock of ducks, 

 sometimes sitting on the water with them, 

 at others, hovering in air over them, 

 waiting for one to appear at the surface 

 with some choice morsel it has procured 

 at the bottom. As soon as the duck 

 reaches the surface and before it has 

 time to swallow its food, the gull will 

 snatch it and fly a few yards, alight on 

 the water and eat what it has stolen, 

 returning for more as soon as it has dis- 

 posed of what it already bad. Some- 

 times the duck will elude the gull by 

 quickly diving, reappearing a few yards 

 away, and succeed in swallowing its 

 food before the gull can get it. Al- 

 though it has the appearance of an over- 

 bearing thief, yet it recompenses the 

 ducks by its alertness for any danger, 

 it being almost impossible for any object 

 to get near without it giving an alarm. 

 It would seem that the ducks realized 

 the protection of the gull, since they 

 permit it to rob them without opposition 

 and allow it to still associate with them. 

 I remember an incident of the watch- 

 fulness of a Herring Gull which was 

 very distasteful to me. At the time it 

 happened I lived a mile from a small 

 river which was a great resort of river 

 ducks. Being at leisure that winter, I 

 visited this river nearly every day for 

 three months, after .birds. During 

 severe cold the river would freeze over, 

 except one place about half an acre in 

 extent, where the current was very swift. 

 This opening at a certain time of tide, 

 was a favorite resort of some forty or 

 fifty ducks {Merganser americanus) to 

 fish for smelts. livery day for two 



