OFF GRAND MAN AN. 21 



feathers. He is the gull's robber cousin, a dreaded foe of theirs, 

 the pirate of the sea. It is interesting to know that the jaegers, 

 or jagers, from whom the birds get their name, were not peace- 

 ful hunters, but a wild tribe of robbers who lived in Germany 

 centuries ago, and got their living by plunder. 



The jaeger well deserves the name of pirate. He is perfectly 

 able to get his own living, but all observers agree that he 

 seldom if ever fishes for himself, although he is reported to 

 pick up worms and mollusks. It would seem far easier to get 

 an honest living than to follow the trade he does, for every fish 

 he obtains by robbery means a long chase. 



The terns may be fishing together, plunging and screaming, 

 without thought of interruption, when suddenly this black rob- 

 ber, swift and silent, is seen among the flock, following the one 

 that has just caught a fish. If the fish is already swallowed it 

 makes no difference to him, and he never mistakes an empty bird 

 for a full one. 



How, when he appears so suddenly, so unexpectedly, he can 

 always tell just which birds have been successful, has been a 

 puzzle to observers, but it seems easily answered. There is no 

 panic except among the terns that have just caught fish, and 

 perhaps their terror reveals their secret to the pirate's quick 

 eye. Having once selected his victim, he pursues that one and 

 no other, flying now above him, now beneath him, threatening 

 him with his bill until the frightened tern at last disgorges 

 what he has eaten, and the victorious jaeger snatches it up as 

 his prize. So quick is he that he often catches the coveted 

 morsel before it can reach the water. 



The jaeger is not a mild or a docile bird. His disposition 

 is naturally fierce and his temper intractable. Something in 

 his look, aside from the hooked beak, reminds us of the birds 

 of prey. Therefore it is probable that, loving the chase for its 



