428 
HARPER’S NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE. 
the region of the great inland sea varies 
very much, sometimes being counted in 
hundreds, and sometimes in thousands. 
According to an account in the Salt Lake 
Herald, the pioneer farmer was first made 
acquainted with the gull in a way that 
left in his heart such a strong feeling of 
gratitude that he at once took steps to liave 
the bird protected by law. The law was 
not needed, however, for the visits of tlie 
bird, after the event about to be narrated, 
showed it to be so useful that the farmers, 
in the absence of a specific law, would no 
doubt have fixed and administered ade¬ 
quate punishment in the case of any per¬ 
son injuring a gull. 
Utah, upon the arrival there of the first 
band of Mormons, was not a particularly 
inviting spot, and it required much hard 
work to bring the soil into a good condi¬ 
tion for bearing. The first year (1847) 
was a very discouraging one, but tlie year 
following gave such promise as compen¬ 
sated the struggling pioneer for the trials 
and liard work of the preceding year. 
The grain arrived safely at that stage when 
the harvest seems beyond the need of a 
care. 
Suddenly the farmer was roused from 
his dream of contentment, and brought 
face to face with impending ruin. Down 
the mountain-sides j)oured a broad torrent 
of huge black crickets. Resistless as burn¬ 
ing lava, and no less destructive, they 
spread themselves over the fast-ripening 
fields of corn, and slowly but surely laid 
them waste. Vainly the farmers strove 
to check the black flood. Their efforts 
were unavailing. 
Despairing at last, they had given up 
the hopeless struggle, when a straggling 
line of birds appeared in the sky, and then 
settled down upon the devouring hordes. 
This was only the van-guard. By hun¬ 
dreds and by thousands the strange birds 
came, and, as if it were their only object 
in coming, made systematic war upon 
the crickets. Ordinary methods would 
have proved inadequate to the conquest; 
but for some reason the gulls resorted to 
extraordinary methods. 
To have eaten and digested the millions 
of invaders would have required the labors 
of many times the number of gulls pre¬ 
sent. The birds, therefore, with singular 
rapidity, alternately devoured and dis¬ 
gorged their prey until all had been dis¬ 
abled. When this happy result had been 
attained, and the crops, in consequence. 
were saved, the gulls all took flight again, 
and returned, no doubt, to their sea-side 
homes. 
Every year there are some of these birds 
make their appearance in that region, and 
as they seem to understand that they are 
safe from harm, are quite tame, and close¬ 
ly follow the farmer as he ploughs up the 
soil, swallowing greedily the insects, bee¬ 
tles, and worms turned up by the plough. 
Tills seems to be the only case of real 
guardianship in the gull family, though 
superstition is busy among the ignorant 
sailors ascribing various attributes to dif¬ 
ferent members of the family, which if 
true would entitle some of them to rank 
among guardian birds, while others would 
have to take a place with the workers of 
evil. The character given a bird by the 
superstitious fancies of ignorance is not 
sufficient title, however, to a place with 
the real guardians. 
The raven family is well represented 
among the guardian birds bv the ox-biters; 
but they are not the only members of the 
family worthy to be mentioned, though it 
would hardly be possible to give every 
member due credit, for probably no oth¬ 
er family furnishes so many instances of 
this peculiarity. On the other hand, the 
same family counts some of the most de¬ 
structive and mischievous of birds among 
its members. 
The crow, the best known of this fami¬ 
ly, though a noisy fellow, yet has many 
good traits which should make him liked, 
but unfortunately he also has some bad 
traits, and for these, though comparative¬ 
ly trifling, he is generally execrated. He 
destroys vast numbers of insects, grubs, 
caterpillars, and other pests to the farmer; 
and combined with two or three of his 
fellows makes life miserable to the chick¬ 
en-hawks. But he Avill also help himself 
to corn, and will occasionally himself 
make a raid on the poultry-yard. 
The magpies, though usually pests to 
man, are frequently of great service to 
other animals. In England and Scotland 
they do a great kindness to the sheep by 
ridding them of many parasites which 
would otherwise cause the poor creatures, 
with their long wool, great discomfort. 
In Asia, particularly in India and China, 
it performs the same kind office for the un¬ 
wieldy water-buffalo. Among the star¬ 
lings, which, like the magpies, belong with 
the ravens, there are many species that 
perform guardian duty. 
