240 GRAY LADY AND THE BIRDS 
western parts of our own country ; but, in general, they have 
been so persistently hunted that they shun the land-bound 
fresh water, where they would help the farmers by feeding 
on large insects, and prefer the freedom of the open water.” 
“The true Gull of the sea, the spirit of the salt, is a sort 
of feathered bell-buoy, and thus is of use to the sailors, 
as there is ample testimony to prove. 
‘In summer, in thick weather, the appearance of Gulls 
and Terns in numbers, or the sound of their clamorous 
voices, gives warning to the mariner that he is near the 
rocks on which they breed. Shore fishermen, enshrouded 
in fog, can tell the direction of the islands on which the 
birds live by watching their undeviating flight homeward 
with food for their young. The keen senses of sea-birds 
enable them to head direct for their nests, even in dense 
mist. 
‘Navigators approaching their home ports during the 
seasons of bird migration welcome the appearance of 
familiar birds from the land... . 
‘“‘Sea-birds must be reckoned among the chief agencies 
which have made many rocky or sandy islands fit for hu- 
man habitation. The service performed by birds in ferti- 
lizing, soil-building, and seed-sowing on many barren 
islands entitles our feathered friends to the gratitude of 
many a shipwrecked sailor, who must else have lost his 
life on barren, storm-beaten shores.” 
—E. H. Forsusu. 
“Ts mine a good grown-up Gull?” asked Bobbie, who 
had been waiting anxiously for its safe return to his 
