60 Effects upon bird life of Corpus Christi storm of Augiist, 1916.


in there was no hope for it, since it would surely be crushed between

timbers.


The next morning great drifts of tangled masses of what had

been trim-limbed Cranes and pouch-mouthed Pelicans could be seen.

A few cripples were found—two great Grey Pelicans, one with his

leg broken just above the knee and the other with a broken wing ;

three Terns with broken wings, one of them having both wings

broken ; and five Gulls with broken wings. One very large Crane,

having one wing and one leg broken, was still ready to defend

himself with a spirit that deserved admiration.


A man who was marooned on one of the low islands which

was swept by waves climbed the largest tree on the island, a mere

bush, and as he was waiting, he knew not what for, he saw a Crane

nestling behind a large rock that protruded above the water.

Although he was not an ornithologist, a feeling of sympathy was

aroused, and he watched with much concern as the water became

higher and raised the Crane above the rock.


“ Old fellow, I hope we’ll both pull through,” he said, as he

took a fresh hold with his numb hands. But the winds continued

and the water kept rising. He had to draw his legs up to keep his

feet out of the water. “ I guess we’ll go pretty soon. Well, here’s

to you. You understand the game better than I do.” The Crane

was on top of the rock now, but it was keeping its body as near the

surface of the water as possible. A flock of Gulls was driven past,

and their screams could be heard above the roar of the waves. The

Crane strained himself as if ready to try the waves. Then, with an

eager turn of the head from side to side, he plunged into the water

and allowed himself to drift before the storm. “ Good-bye, old

fellow.” The next morning when a boat came to the rescue, one

of the first things the man asked was, “I wonder how that old Crane

made out! ”


No one witnessed the destruction of the Gallinules. A large

colony of these birds was completely exterminated. Their portion

of the island was completely swept by water, and the next afternoon

many of them drifted to shore just above the city of Corpus Christi.

With these birds that drifted in were several eggs floating unbroken

in the salt water. Why could not a Purple Gallinule, that graceful,



