Identifier: grayladybirdssto00wrig (find matches)
Title: Gray lady and the birds; stories of the bird year for home and school
Year: 1907 (1900s)
Authors: Wright, Mabel Osgood, Mrs., 1859-
Subjects: Birds Birds
Publisher: New York, The Macmillan company
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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news did not exaggerate, and, thoughthere were many cut and scratched fingers from the sharpshells, before noon there was no one who had not gatheredall the oysters he could carry. The more thrifty amongthe men also began to gather the seaweed into heaps safefrom the incoming tide, so that they might be sure of find-ing it the next day, while the women and children gathereddriftwood and, making fireplaces of a few stones, heatedthe coffee they had brought. For, though the sun wasnow shining clear, and the wind had dropped to a littlebreeze that scarcely moved the surface of the tide pools,there was a growing keenness in the air that named themonth December, and promised the wind would be inthe northwest by night. In spite of the unusual human picture before them,that which interested Gray Lady, Miss Wilde, and Goldi-locks the most were the Gulls that covered the bare sand-bar, waded in the shallow pools, and clambered among thestones in search of food, which they picked out with their
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HERRING GULLS TREASURE-TROVE AT THE SHORE 233 stout, hooked bills, then flew swiftly overhead toward thecreek, across the salt meadows, with a shrill cry, such asthe creaking windlass of a well gives when the rope playsout quickly and the bucket drops — quake-wake-wake. Further out, in the arm of the bar, where there was nocurrent, and the water was deep and smooth, many Gullswere resting motionless as white skiffs at anchor, orflying and diving for food in the wake of some boats thatwere evidently grappling to discover the extent of thedamage to the oyster-beds. How many kinds of Gulls are there ? asked Goldilocks.Three, I should think, unless the males and the femaleswere different. The Gulls here are all Herring, or, as the Wise Mennow wish them called, Harbour Gulls. The old birds havethe pure white breasts and pearly gray, or what is some-times called Gull-blue, upper parts and the black-and-white wing-markings. The mixed and streaked ash,buff, and brown birds are the young of

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