XIX 

 GULL HABITS 



EVERY fall when the waves begin to beat heavily 

 along the sea-shore, a white-winged fleet sails into 

 the rivers and bays to winter. When most of the other 

 flocks have gone to the southland, this feathered fleet 

 skims about the wharf-lined water front. These are the 

 Gulls, and they add life to the landscape as they float and 

 sail about, just as the white-sailed boats of the summer 

 skim about the waters of the inland harbors. 



The gull comes not for pleasure alone, he comes be- 

 cause it is easier to find a living about the city than on the 

 open sea. He pays for his existence in the amount of 

 garbage he picks up. He skirmishes the river for dead 

 fish, putrid flesh, and waste stuff of every kind. If his 

 food supply runs low on the river, he hunts overland. If 

 the gulls are fed along the water front, they become very 

 tame, and return regularly every day for their dinner. 



The gulls are quick to learn that they are protected 

 about the harbors, and they become quite fearless in their 

 search for food. They will often come almost within 

 arm's reach, yet these same birds are likely to be very wild 

 when they are not in the harbor limits, where the strict 

 regulations protect them. Only a few years ago the gulls 

 were allowed to be killed without limit, but now they 

 are protected under the different state game laws. When- 



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