AMERIOAN ORNITHOLOGY. 117 



A GOOD MEAL 



Who does not love that large majestic bird, who haunts our inland 

 lakes, the Herring Gull? He comes to us in the spring, as the ice 

 begins to break up and spends whole days with many of his compan- 

 ions enjoying a free ride on the floating ice cakes. He not only enjoys 

 it, but very unselfishly he tells all of us how very pleasant it is. I have 

 watched these Gulls, sometimes as many as 40 or 50, through the 

 opera glass and felt well repaid. I have also watched them, as they 

 soared aloft and passed with graceful flight over the lake, showing to 

 good advantage, their beautiful wings tipped with black. 



I love tiie lake shore walk especially in the early spring. It is on 

 this walk, I receive some of my greatest discouragements in trying to 

 identify the ducks and it is here that I see some most interesting 

 sights. 



On the 21st of March the ice in the lake had not broken up, only 

 near the shore, but there was sufficient open water to entice the ducks 

 and gulls. At least it had enticed one gull, for there he stood on the 

 edge of the ice not more than 40 feet away. What a beauty he was as 

 he stood there in his rich, pearly mantle and how gracefully he carried 

 himself! Quite an aristocrat! He was so near me that without opera 

 glass, I could easily observe him to my heart's content, for he was 

 interested in the one thing he was doing. He was having a most 

 sumptuous feast with no one near with whom to share it unless 

 perhaps with his spectator. He had got from the lake a small fish 

 which looked like a horned pout. His manner of eating a morsel of 

 fish reminded me somewhat of a robin's manner of eating an earth 

 worm. He gave the fish a good many hard shakings then ate some of 

 it, he put his foot on it and pulled to get a good, big bite, then walked 

 very proudly about it, watching lest it should disappear. He continued 

 this for some time and when he had finished, there was not much left 

 of the fish. 



I was just as willing, if not a little more so, that the gull should 



have this fish as that some sportsman, later on, should add him to his 



string. I was also grateful to the gull for choosing a place to fish on 



this side of the lake instead of the other. 



Elsie Space Jackson. 



