THE HERRING-GULL 



197 



The voice of this Gull is not melodious; and 

 some persons call it harsh and strident. But 

 opinions differ, even on as small a matter as 

 the voice of a Gull. I never yet heard the cry 

 of a wild gull, either on the booming sea-shore, 

 or over the silvery mirror of an inland lake, 

 which was not music to my ears. 



In captivity the Gull is badly handicapped. 

 With the primaries of one wing clipped to 

 prevent escape, and without the power of flight, 



two enterprising Gulls decided to nest and rear 

 a family. Accordingly they built a nest under 

 a bush which stood on a point of the island, in a 

 position that strategically was well chosen for 

 purposes of defence. The two birds made a 

 very wise division of the labor. The female 

 built the nest, laid the eggs and hatched them, 

 and the male did the screaming and fighting 

 that was necessary to protect the family from 

 molestation. 



THE HERRING-GULL (1, 2) AND COMMON TERN (3, 4). 



it is not seen at its best; for no Gull is perfect 

 save in flight. Our flock is continuallly shriek- 

 ing protests against unlawful detention, and 

 with perfect wings every one would quickly 

 fly away, as did those bred in the park and reared 

 to adolescence with perfect wings. We tried 

 to colonize them, but once away they never came 

 back. 



In an enclosure which embraced a pond and 

 an island inhabited by about twenty Gulls, 

 twelve Canada geese, and a few other birds, 



Never was there a more bonnie fighter than 

 that male bird. During that whole nesting- 

 period, lasting from April 1 to May 15, he either 

 bluffed or fought to a stand-still everything 

 that came within ten feet of that nest. Before 

 his defiant and terrifying screams, and his 

 threatening beak and wings, no other Gull 

 could stand for a moment. When a Canada 

 goose crossed his dead-line, the Gull would rush 

 at him, seize him by the nearest wing, wing- 

 beat him, and hang on like a bull-dog, regard- 



