33i 



AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



to desert her ne^t and witness its complete destruction, in order to satisfy 

 the greed of this bird pirate. Like many other birds whose character is 

 similar to these they are graced with good looks, in fact, I think they are 

 fully as handsome as any other member of this graceful family. Their flight 

 is powerful and majestic. At times they float aloft on motionless wings, 

 wheeling round and round in a chain of circles. They float buoyantly and 

 swim well. No marine view would be complete without a few individuals 

 of the gull family, either wheeling about in graceful circles or seated on 

 the surface of the water, and rising and falling in unison with the waves. 

 None of the gulls have a very musical note, and this one's is rather less 

 so than the others. It is characteristic of the disposition of the bird; a 

 coarse, gruff ''kac, kac, kac," a note that penetrates a considerable dis- 

 tance. They are not very particular about the character of the islands 

 that they choose for their homes. Probably the chief factor in their 

 choice is the proximity of a good food supply. Some build their nests on 

 high rocky islands, which are also the breeding places of murres, cormor- 

 ants, and numerous smaller gulls, while others will construct a house for 

 their young on some low, sandy, and marshy island, in company with 

 many terns and Herring Gulls. These latter, murderers themselves, to a 

 considerable extent, now have to suffer the penalty for their wrong do- 

 ings. The Saddle-backs lose no opportunity to rob the nests of their 

 smaller neighbors, indeed they are not above stealing the property of their 

 own kind. Quite frequently the devastion is made more complete; a fish- 

 erman's boat anchors under the lee of the island; after its departure not 

 an egg that bears any semblance of being fresh, remains on the island. 

 These eggs and those of the murre are considered a delicacy by the fisher- 

 men, and the islands are frequently raided. The birds do not lose a great 

 deal of time bewailing their loss, but go ahead and lay a second set, and 

 if necessary, a third. 



PLUMAGE A PROTECTION. 



May we not see protective wisdom in the way nature clothes her birds, 

 giving them plumage to harmonize with their natural surroundings, as 

 though to protect them from the keen sight of their enemies? Thus many 

 of the small birds that flit among the foliage are distinguished by beautiful 

 colors, while those that run upon the ground are generally marked by 

 neutral tints. Quails, partridges and grouse are colored like the ground, 

 being of a speckled or brownish hue, and are seen with difficulty when 

 sitting or standing among the berry bushes, or gleaning their repast in the 

 cornfield. Too small to defend themselves, their colors are adapted to 

 protect them by concealment. The sparrows and larks that build upon 

 the ground are plainly dressed; and the thrushes, which are equally neu- 



