Identifier: cu31924022528685 (find matches)
Title: The birds of Ohio; a complete scientific and popular description of the 320 species of birds found in the state
Year: 1903 (1900s)
Authors: Dawson, William Leon, 1873- Jones, Lynds, b. 1865
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: Columbus, The Wheaton Publishing Co.
Contributing Library: Cornell University Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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mon Tern, thrownon the water, and gulped it down at a mouthful, scarcely retarding its flight.Nothing that contains the faintest elements of nutriment comes amiss. Gullswill follow steamboats from port to port or even across the ocean, subsisting Taken in Lorain County. Photo by the Author. FISH TRAPS IN LAKE ERIE. entirely upon the refuse which comes from the cooks galley. It is a perennialsource of delight to the traveller to feed these winged pensioners by hand,tossing them bits of bread or meat to test their skill in catching on the fly,or to note the wild scrimmage which follows when a score of birds spy thesame morsel. In following steamers, as at other times, Gulls obtain their rest by sleep-ing on the water, and it is said that in crossing the ocean they spend the nightthus, and overhaul their patron ship early the following morning. But perhaps the most interesting phase of Gull nature is seen in theirmanner of flight. They are past masters of that humanly unattainable craft,
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THE RING-BILLED GULL. 551 and the nature of their aerial progress quite baffles, at times, human com-prehension. I once studied a very tame flock of GuUs, of an alUed species,as it followed a Puget Sound steamer; and I am able to testify that the birdsmoved about upon the air at will, and for indefinite periods of time, withoutthe slightest semblance of wing-beats. At one time when we were facing astiffish breeze and making headway against it at the rate of about fifteen milesan hour, the Gulls were resting in midair above the afterdeck. One birdin particular, remained for about five minutes within four feet of my out-stretched hand. Without a visible sign of /propulsion the bird moved forwardupon the air as by some inner coy^ipulsion, at an approximate rate of thirtymiles per hour; and when the Gull shifted its position, it was to pass forwardand upward rapidly without wing-beats. By what magical resolution offorces the birds are thus able to make the wind contradict itself one may n

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