THE NIDIOIvOGIST. 



53 



it, got SO mad that it made a snap at her 

 dress and caught a tight hold and pulled 

 with all a bird's anger, dancing up and 

 down all the time. 



After tiring of laughter at these antics 

 she threw the cheese into the air, where it 

 was caught on a jump. 



It was a grand treat to Jack and Jill 

 when they experienced the first fall of rain . 

 They stood together near one of the flower 

 beds, where we were watching them as 

 the rain ran oiF their backs. As it spat- 

 tered over their backs they would turn 

 their heads from side to side, then up to 

 the window, as much as saying, "Ain't 

 this a fine wetting we are having; I won- 

 der how long it will keep up." 



The following spring a sort of migration 

 desire came to them, for on several occa- 

 sions I found one or both wandering about 

 in the orchard below the house. I gave it 

 no thought at the time, as they had not at 

 any time tried to use their wingb in 

 flight. 



One day one of them was missing, and I 

 did not find a sign of Gull in any place 

 until a neighbor's son said a strange look- 

 ing Duck or something was in their garden, 

 and they had tried to shoo it off with sticks 

 and clods, but it would not shoo; it got 

 after the chickens and set them wild. Fol- 

 lowing them into the chicken yard, it had 

 raised a great commotion as it drew all his 

 folks out to see the strange-looking bird 

 among the fowl. They all then tried to 

 shoo it off with clods and sticks, but the 

 poor Gull paid no attention to it all — 

 thought he was at home in the chicken 

 yard. I soon heard of it, and brought him 

 home and clipped his wings, thinking to 

 put a stop to this trying to find the Faral- 

 lones by dry land. It did no good. Later 

 on he was missed again, and got among 

 the chickens, frightening them so that they 

 must have thought a land Hawk of a new 

 species in the A. O. U. Code would soon 

 clean them out. 



This time a lad with a big gun made an 

 end of Jerry, not knowing it was only a pet/ 



Foolish Gull — lost on his way to the famed 

 Kggers Island ! 



Its mate wandered about calling for sev- 

 eral days, when one day it also was miss- 

 ing. It was in the fore part of June, and 

 one day I was in the orchard when I heard 

 a shouting, and looking through the trees 

 I saw a small boy and his gun, calling to 

 another, "Here it is! We'll get right up 

 to it, behind that tree. ' ' I could not make 

 out all that was said, but soon heard a gun 

 go off, and saw the gun with the boy lug- 

 ging the last of Jill. He said he had the 

 funniest strange-looking bird he ever saw 

 for me; had tried to catch it alive, it was so 

 tame, but it kept dodging around the trees 

 faster than he could, so he set another boy 

 to watching while he ran to the house for 

 a gun. 



Then he crawled right up to it and 

 let him have it in the eye. Thought I 

 might want such a funny tame bird, and 

 give him a nickel for the prize. 



I told him it was my tame Gull he had 

 shot, who had started out to find its way to 

 the Island where it was hatched. The poor 

 lad was ready to cry for shooting my Gull, 

 he had thought it such a rare Duck, as he 

 called it. 



The wife of one of the lightkeepers told 

 me she had raised a Gull that after the first 

 year went off in the fall, but made its ap- 

 pearance one morning the next spring at 

 the kitchen window, flapping his wings 

 and trying to get in. She called him by 

 name, opened the door, and in he came for 

 his hardtack as usual, she said, and when 

 he had got it he put off". Came not again 

 till the next spring, and had a mate with 

 him this time, but could not be induced to 

 come inside. Took his hardtack and was 

 off". Would come to no one except her. The 

 third year he did not appear. Thought he 

 might have got into one of those tomales 

 which were then such a rage in San Fran- 

 cisco's streets after dark. 



Otto Emerson. 

 Hay wards, CaL 



