C 118 ')
BLACK-HEADED, OR LAUGHING GTTLL.
LAMS ATRICJU.A, LINN.
1'l.ATK CCCXJV MAI.K TS »RINVÌI,.VKI> Vmrsu.
Before entering upon the peculiar habits (if this Gull, all««' me,,
good-natured Header, to present you «iti' some général observations
on the genus to which it bilonfçs: î r
At the approach of autumn, it fmpi.mUy happens that the young
birds of several species associate together, congregating atomies in
vast numbers, ami especially during low tide's J l the'outer margins of
sand-bars situated in estuariesiv- T h e * you may hear them keeping up
an almost'iiice%gant cackle, and«ée them running about dressing their
plumage, or patiently waiting thé rtoii% of the waters, on which much
desired event taking place, they generally disperse, and flifoff to search
for food. If disturbed while thus reposing, tliey show greater shyness,
perhaps, than at .my other time; and the loiid ribte of alarhi from»»
of the group soon reaches your ear. Look at flfcm n»w, Reader, as
they simultaneously'spread their Wings, and-after a step or two launch
. i,iti) the "air, gradually ascend^'and infer»'«- A to a groat height,
performing extended gyrations, and advancing toward the Open sea.
It seldom happens that vh<ii one of [the largef^pêites is shot, its
«.mpanUms will etimi! toHtò rescue, as is the" case with".the-smaller,
suet [as the Kittuvake, and the present species. I have thought it
remark able how keenly and aptly Grills generally d W e r at once the
»¿hi®«! • towards them of individuals of our own species. * To the
peaceable and industrious fisherman thcy:sc^dy pay any regard, whother
he drags his heavy net along the shore, or patiently wails until his
well-haited hook Is' gulped below the dancing'yet well-anchored bark,
over the side of which he leans in constant and anxious expectation; At
such a time indeed, if the fisher has ï^muéh'sWccess, and his boat displays
a good store, Gulls will almost assail him like so many beggars, and
perhaps receive from him a trifling Vet dainty-morsel. But, on the opposite
side of the bay, 'PW how carefully and suspiciously «te same
birds are watching every step of the man who, with a long g t t held H •
a trailing position, tries to approach the flock of teging Widgeons.
BLACK-HEADED, OR LAUGHING GULL. 119
Why, not One of the Gulls will go within three times the range of his
murderous engine ; and, as if to assure him of their knowledge of his
designs, they ihe'tely laugh at him from their secure station.
When congregated luring fiie love-season, their loquacity has never
failed to remind me of the irnp'etuoi'is, unmusical, and yet not unpleasant
notes Of our thieving Rei-Wmged Starlings. But when apart, and
at all times' excepting the periods of pairing or breeding, or while some
of the smaller species are chased by tlioir vigilant enemies the Jagers,
they are usually .silent birds, especially when on wing. In rainy or
squally weather, they"skim low over the water, or.the land, always
-against the wind, passing at times within a few feci of the surface.
Again, at such times, I have observed Gulls of every species with which
I am acquainted, #iiftdenly give a shake or two to their wings, and stop
-as it were for ai^foment in | | e i r flight, as if they had esjpied something
worthy of. their attention below; but, on closely observing them, I have
"become convinced that such manauivres were performed only with the
view of readjusting their whole plumage, which had perhaps been disarranged
by a side current of wind.
All Gulls are wonderfully tenacious of life. When wounded or
closely pursued, they are very apt to disgorge their food, or to' sustain
themselves against the agonies of death with uncommon vigour. They
appear indeed to be possessed of extraordinary powers of respiration,
through means of which they revise at the very moment when you might
conceive them to have actually reached the last gasp. I have seen cases
in which individuals of this tribe, after having been strongly squeezed
for.several minutes across the body, and after their throats had been
crammed with cotton or tow, recovered, as soon as the pressure was
remitted, and immediately attempted to bite with as much eagerness as
when first seized, when, by the by, tliev an; wont to mute, as well as
when suddenly surprised and taking to wing. In certain states of the
atmosphere, Gulls, as well as other birds, appear much larger than they
actually are; and on such occasions, they, of course, seem nearer than you
would find them tobei for which reason, I would advise you, Reader,
to be on your guard, for you may be strangely misled as to the distance
at which you suppose the bird to be, and pull your trigger merely .to
send your shot into the sand, far short from the Gulls or other lightcoloured
birds in view.