■l&l BIRDS 



sea, sometimes cirelino- above it, sometimes just topping 

 the furious waves, and sometimes skimming the calm sea, 

 apparently ever on the wing. Some declare that it never 

 rests at all in these long lliglUs, but its feet are \\-ebbe([, 

 which is a ])i'etty strong indication that it rests on the 

 water at some time. 



There is a small, \\el>-f()(jted, sea-loving bird that is known 

 to the sailors as " mothei' C'ary's chicken." This is the little 

 stormy petrel. It literally iive.^ vi]>on the sea, spending 

 nearly all of its time in flying and skimnhng over the water 

 just low enough to paddle the surface with the feet and 

 assist the wings. 



The gulls and terns. — The gulls are also strong and grace- 

 ful flyers, but unlike the albatross and petrel they frequent 

 inland Ijoi'.ies of fresh water, especially the Great Lakes 

 and larger rivers as well as all the salt ^\-atcr Ijaj's and inlets 

 of North Ameiica. The hei-ring gull, \\hich is our most 

 common gull, wings its way far out t(j sea and also ranges 

 far inland around the th-eat I^akes, the lakes and ponds of 

 Michigan, ^Minnesota, and Iowa and the large livers of the 

 United States. 



The connnon tern, or " sea swallow," breeds in a few places 

 along the Atlantic coast lietween New Jer.'^ey and Nova 

 Scotia. It' is much smaller than the herring gull and not 

 so gi'acefuk especially when it is on the gi'omKh 



The cormorant and pelican. — I'liese ai'e watei' liirds, and 

 sti'ong flyers like tlic iietrels and gulls. The feet are wefilied, 

 tiie web e\'en including the hind toe which is free in othei- 

 birds. 



The curmorants are i-apacious and gi-eedy. They Ww 

 ;iiid nest ill gi-eat flocks, iiioslly ;d(iiig the rocky shore,-^ 

 Ileal' the sea. tjomu of tiieiii, at least in former times, 



