The Delightful Hobby of Bird Watching [ 65 



VULTURES NATURE'S STREET CLEANERS 



These are the birds that actually merit the name "bald," 

 as the head and neck of both black and turkey vultures are bare 

 of feathers. When you see one of these birds of prey, in the flesh 

 or in pictures, you are more likely to be repelled than attracted; 

 no one is apt to speak fondly of a vulture. Nevertheless it is 

 extremely valuable as a scavenger, and in certain towns of the 

 South, vultures form a dependable street-cleaning department. 



GULLS THEY ROOST ON WATER 



You are most likely to see gulls along the seashore and in 

 bays and harbors. But, as many of them nest on the islands of inland 

 lakes, it is not impossible to glimpse them in a wide variety of 

 places. The herring gull, abundant along the Atlantic Coast, is 

 one of the largest types and has a gray back and wings that are 

 tipped with black. The California gull closely resembles the 

 herring gull. Some kinds, such as the laughing gull of the East 

 and the Franklin gull of the West, have a black head. 



Gulls are as buoyant as cork on the water and they often rest 

 and roost there. They are a valuable aid to sanitation along water 

 fronts, especially in harbors where garbage is dumped. They often 

 gather in tremendous numbers at such places and seize the refuse 

 as it is thrown off scows. It is exciting to watch them vie for offal 

 discarded from a returning fishing craft when the catch is being 

 cleaned. In addition they devour the bodies of dead creatures of 

 the sea which have floated to the surface. 



Making Wild Birds Feel at Home 



Rescuing a helpless animal is one of childhood's greatest thrills. 

 Most youngsters are thoroughly delighted at an opportunity to 

 care for an injured older bird or a baby bird that has become 

 separated from its parents. 



This is an endearing trait in children, but before you let them 

 make the attempt, you ought to know how hard it is to feed wild 

 birds especially the young ones. Baby birds often starve to death 

 because people have no conception of the enormous quantities of 

 food the fledglings require. These figures tell the story: A house 



