Utility and Eggnomy of Birds 
‘one of our most precious auxiliaries, who 
had at all times indicated to our fishermen 
the presence of shoals of fish, and who, when 
our boats and their crews were mobilised and 
fished for mines and submarines, imitated 
them and continued their service of intelli- 
gence’ (Bulletin de la S.F.P.O., Juin 1018). 
A pilot reported that while in the Channel 
on January 5th, 1918,ihe noticed some SEA- 
GULLS sitting upon a floating object. Upon 
closer investigation he saw it was a mine with 
five prongs. On top of each prong was 
perched a SEA-GULL. He just had time to 
alter the ship’s course slightly and thus 
averted disaster (Observer, 6.1.18). A some- 
what similar story is told by an officer on 
board a ship in the North Sea: ‘‘ While watch- 
ing a PUFFIN through my glasses, I suddenly 
saw the periscope of a German submarine 
appear above the water close to the bird. 
We altered our course just in time to evade, 
by a few feet, two torpedoes which were fired 
at us. We tried to ram the submarine, but 
unfortunately she dived too quickly ”’ (Ibis, 
1917, p. 34). The fact that SEA-GULLS were 
26 
