Identifier: birdlifeguidetos00chapman (find matches)
Title: Bird-life; a guide to the study of our common birds
Year: 1897 (1890s)
Authors: Chapman, Frank M. (Frank Michler), 1864-1945 Seton, Ernest Thompson, 1860-1946
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: New York : D. Appleton and company
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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About one hundred species are known, fifty being Gulls and iifty Terns. The former are, as arule, larger, stouter birds than the latter, and, generallyspeaking, are more maritime. The commonest of the tenspecies found in tlie Eastern States is the Herring Gull.It nests from Maine northward, and is found southwardalong our coast from October 1 to April. This is theGull we see in such numljers in our ))ays and harbors,flying gracefully and apparently aimlessly about, l)ut inreality ever keeping its bright black eyes tixed on thewater in search of some floating morsel, which it deftlypicks from the surface. It frequently follows vessels,hanging over the stern day after day, and deserting itspost only to feed on scraps thro^^oi overboard from thegalley. There are said to be reliable records of thesebirds folloAving the same vessel from the Ii-ish coast toNew York Harbor. Gulls do excellent service in devouring much refusethat would otherwise be cast ashore to decay; but, useful At- :.c\
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Plate IV. HERRING GULL. Length, 2400 inches. Adult, back and wings pearl-gray ; end of primaries marked witli black ; rest of plumage white. Young, dark grayish, primaries and tail brownish black. PETRELS. Length, 750 inches. Black, upper tail-coverts white. 89 90 COMMON TERN. as they are as scavengers, I feel tliat their place in JSTatureis to animate the barren wastes of the sea. How, whenat sea, the presence of a single Gull changes the wholeaspect of Kature ! The great expanse of water, whichl)efore was oppressive in its dreary lifelessness, is trans-formed by the white-winged (xulls into a scene of rarebeauty. Every voyager, be he naturalist or not, admirestheir grace of form and motion. They seem born of thewaves, and as much a part of the ocean as the foamywhitecaps themselves. The beautiful Terns or Sea Swallows are even moregraceful than the Gulls. They are slenderer birds, lighterCommon Tern ^^^^ more active on the wing, with long,iSterna hirundo. forked tails and pointed l)

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