Often in i Senitle ae Short- -billed Gull may be seen ty 
passengers as they wait for an evening steamer in the fall — 
and winter. These gulls are fishing in the shadows of the 
—eity docks, flying around the end of the wharves, and into 
the slips, again and again. They skim over the surface 
-geeming to pick up a living from the tops of the waves. 
One bird was seen to dip down, as it flew, at the same spot 
at an unseen object six times before it came up with a 
wriggling fish in its bill. Then away it went out to the 
_ deeper water of the bay, for these gulls scorn garbage dumps 
and care not for wharf-tops. They are crow size and at low 
tide at first glance might be taken for crows, in spite of 
their gull colors, as they play with the small waves, running 
back and forth in the shallows, even in freezing weather, or 
treading the sand about their greenish toes and yellow webs 
in pools to stir up the food they seek there. The short 
greenish, yellow-tipped bill, the black-trimmed wings with 
large white spot on the front edge and small size will 
separate them from the big gray Glaucous- wing's that are 
often found feeding with them. 
Many gulls appear to have well established routes of 
travel to and from their sleeping quarters to the city feed- 
ing places, on which twice each day they appear as regularly 
as the commuters from the cottages hidden along the shores. 
While, in general, they move as if their goal must be reached 
on time, there are evenings when they stop to play, or dance, 
above the treetops on the points which reach out across 
their unmarked path. Sometimes at twilight a flock may 
be awakened by a boat as it steams along lonely waters, 
and then frightened calls fill the air. 
Sometimes they seem to be eae in a game where 
one dashes away as if life depended upon escape while all 
— the others hustle after it. When the wind is high, they 
fight their way against it, and sometimes they float back, 
swinging high or low, fast or slow, touching one another 
- with outstretched wings, while their white breasts now 
ies 
