The Herring or Harbor Gull 281 



At the end of summer, the young, wearing their speckled suits, are able to 



join the old in flocks, and it is then that they scatter along the coast, some going 



from the northern borders down to the Great Lakes. In and 



^ ,„■ about New York City, they are one of the features of the winter 



the Winter -^ ^ 



scenery; as they fly to and fro under the arches of the great 



bridge, and follow the ships the entire length of the harbor, and out to sea. At 

 night, they bed down so close together that in places they make a continuous 

 line of feathers on the waters of the reservoirs and in the sheltered coves of 

 the Hudson. From the banks of Riverside Park, any autumn or winter after- 

 noon, so long as the channel is free from ice, they may be seen flying about 

 as fearless as a flock of domestic Pigeons. 



Hear what Mr. Forbush has to say of these birds of the sea-mist and spray: 

 "The true Gull of the sea, the spirit of the salt, is a sort of feathered bell-buoy 

 and thus is of use to the sailors, as there is ample testimony to prove. 



"In summer, in thick weather, the appearance of Gulls and Terns in num- 

 bers, or the sound of their clamorous voices, give warning to the mariner that he 

 is near the rocks on which they breed. Shore fishermen, enshrouded in fog, 

 can tell the direction of the islands on which the birds live by 

 watching their undeviating flight homeward with food for their 



Sailors ^ & & 



young. The keen senses of sea-birds enable them to head direct 

 for their nests, even in dense mist. 



"Navigators, approaching, their home ports during the seasons of bird 

 migration, welcome the appearance of familiar birds from the land. . . . 



"Sea-birds must be reckoned among the chief agencies which have made 

 many rocky or sandy islands fit for human habitation. The service performed 

 by birds in fertilizing, soil-building, and seed-sowing on many barren islands, 

 entitles our feathered friends to the gratitude of many a shipwrecked sailor, 

 who must else have lost his life on barren, storm-beaten shores." 



Questions for Teachers and Students 



At what season do Gulls visit your vicinity? What kind of Gulls do you find? 

 Where do they pass the summer? What is the difference in color between the adult 

 Harbor Gull and that of the young, born the preceding summer? What is the range 

 of the Harbor Gull? How are Gulls of value to man? Why were Gulls destroyed? 

 How do Gulls nest? Describe the appearance and actions of young Gulls. Of what 

 use are Gulls to sailors? 



