^^'ioif^^] Bhewster, Notes on the Flight of Gulls. 87 



keeping within a yard or two of the rail, otheirs thrice that distance 

 off, still others fifty or more yards out over the water. Their 

 respective positions in relation to each other and to the ship were 

 so accurately and systematically maintained that whenever I got 

 one of them in line with any fixed object on the deck I could often 

 hold it there, without myself moving again, for several successive 

 minutes. At first, when the wind was coming from about two 

 points off our larboard bow and l)Iowing not more than twenty 

 miles an hour, the Gulls flapped rather frequently although most 

 of them glided on set wings the greater part of the time. As the 

 afternoon wore on the wind shifted and freshened until it came 

 within a point and a half of l)eing dead ahead — in the opinion 

 of our Boatswain — and attained a velocity of thirty-five miles 

 an hour — according to our Captain. This change was gradual, 

 not abrupt. It was accompanied by a marked and most interest- 

 ing progressive change in the manner of flight and general appear- 

 ance of the Gulls. x\s the gale increased they flapped their wings 

 less and less often, until most, if not all of them, were gliding cease- 

 lessly, minute after minute, over distances certainly exceeding a 

 mile, without a single wing beat but not without changes or read- 

 justments in the bend or the inclination of the wings which took 

 place not infrequently and often were very obvious. It was a 

 rarely impressive and beautiful, as well as mysterious, sight — that 

 of this orderly throng of silent, stately, almost snow-white birds, 

 moving majestically on a perfectly level plane, at a speed of fifteen 

 knots an hour, against a raging wind, yet making no visible muscu- 

 lar effort which could in any way account for such progress. Even 

 more surprising was it to see, every now and then, one of them leave 

 the rest and, going two feet to their one, forge on ahead of them all 

 perhaps to the bows of the steamer and beyond, yet without once 

 beating its wings. They seemed, indeed, to now have abundant 

 speed held in reserve and to be able to retard or accelerate it at 

 will, without obvious means of so governing it. Dr. Allen, who 

 watched them with me for a time but not, unfortunately, when 

 the gale reached its height and they were doing their best, fully 

 shared my conviction that they could not possibly be making use 

 of previously acquired momentum but that the wind itself must 

 furnish their chief if not only means of propulsion. After he had 



