File:Outing (1885) (14590261747).jpg

Identifier: outing58newy (find matches)
Title: Outing
Year: 1885 (1880s)
Authors:
Subjects: Leisure Sports Travel
Publisher: (New York : Outing Pub. Co.)
Contributing Library: Tisch Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries

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there also to finish it. Strong and graceful is the flight ofthe gulls. The harder the wind blows,the better they seem to like it. Theytack up almost into the teeth of thewintry blasts, then turn and scale offbefore them with amazing rapidity.Sometimes, when they are journeying,we can see them high above the city, oreven far inland over the hill country, atsuch elevation that they appear like themerest white specks against the blue.They often follow the vessels far outto sea, and it is probable that sometimesthe same individuals follow them clearacross the ocean. Probably also the gulls which we seein any locality during the winter aregenerally the same ones. Just as withbirds in summer that return to nest yearby year in our gardens, there is some evi-dence that gulls return annually to achosen winter residence, remaining theretill the vernal influence again calls themnorthward. In support of this is thecelebrated case of Gull Dick, a her-ring gull recognizable by some peculiar (529)
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I WATCHED WITH KEEN DELIGHT THE BIG WHITE BIRDS AT CLOSE RANGE mark and by its tameness, which fortwenty years returned each winter to befed from the Brenton Reef lightship, offthe Rhode Island coast. As with this famous Dick, the gullshave regular night roosts on reefs orshoals offshore, where they are safe fromintrusion. Unlike him, though, on theopen coast they are exceedingly shy.Many a time, when I was a boy with agun, did I vainly try to get near themon the bays and flats. They know prettywell where they are safe. Near thedocks, where shooting is not allowed,they are quite fearless, but when theyfly down the bay again they are as shyas ever. A writer, Mr. George H. Mackay,has noticed that the wild ducks some-times turn this shyness of the gulls togood account. Flocks of ducks, partic-ularly of the black duck, when the gullsare near, will abandon all precautionsand even go to sleep. When danger ap-proaches, the gulls will fly about andscream loudly, thus giving the ducksplenty of

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