FAGGING IN THE BIRD WORLD 43 



often take young frigate-birds out of the nest 

 and bring them up as pets ; perches are set 

 up for them on the shore, and they fly out and 

 return home again just like pigeons. Indeed, 

 missionaries out there have often sent letters 

 by them from one island to another, just as 

 one uses carrier-pigeons here. 



Although they may not be professional 

 pirates like frigate-birds and skuas, the gulls 

 themselves do not mind doing a little piracy 

 when it comes convenient ; not only does the 

 herring-gull rob the black-headed gull, but 

 the black-headed gull itself, when it is feeding 

 on the meadows and marshes along with the 

 peewits, will rob them of the worms or grubs 

 that they find. A South American gull does 

 the same thing with the peewit of that country, 

 and in New Zealand the common gull there 

 follows the long-billed oyster-catcher about 

 and takes away the crabs that he digs up. 



It is just the same with the birds of prey ; 

 many of my readers have most likely come 

 across the description of how the American 

 white-headed eagle chases the osprey, or 

 fishing-hawk, and takes away the fish it has 

 caught; in fact, this habit has long been so 



