102 BIRDS OF THE WEST 



picture to them. Multitudes of these beautiful sea birds make an 

 annual flight from the Mexican Gulf to Manitoba and northward 

 to nest. Graceful beyond compare they seem to be merely float- 

 ing through the air, turning their heads now this way now that, 

 and stopping their flight not even while scratching their pretty 

 heads with their toes. 



It is a pretty long journey that they make to their northern 

 summer resorts, but they are rapid in flight having a very wide 

 wingspread and much smaller bodies than their appearance in- 

 dicates and it would take them only four or five days, or even less, 

 to make the trip if they did not visit along the way, but they stop 

 over in springtime to eat worms from the newly plowed fields and 

 in the fall to gather grasshoppers from the newly harvested grain. 

 Remember they never harm the grain. 



Alas, the poor gulls are awfully imposed upon. It is a favor- 

 ite pastime with some of the terns or sea swallows to pursue and 

 annoy the gulls until they drop any choice morsel of food which 

 they may be carrying when the terns secure the booty thus cheat- 

 ing the gullible gull out of it. The gulls are shot by thousands 

 for commerce, their plumage being especially desirable for hat 

 trimmings but it is a waning practice for the woman who parades 

 the streets these days wearing upon her hat the badge of 'bird 

 motherhood is fast learning that whatever of reflected beauty 

 she acquires from the pretty plume is offset by a loss of esteem 

 from those she meets. An old saying is "Whatever of coin goes 

 into a man's purse comes out of his soul", and it is just as true 

 of "Whatever of plumage goes upon a woman's hat." 



