Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1880-02-25
Queer Habits of Gulls.

the gulls appear larger than they are in
reality, as seen when, on ample, slow1yfiap
ping pinions, they sail along in a circling
course, intent on the waves beneath. Rapid
though their flight undoubtedly is, their
powers are rather calculated for endurance
and the ease with which they make their
way. Opposing the head in direct line
to the wind, they ride out the severest tenn
pest; and the higher and rougher the waves,
the more abundantly is their prey brought
within reach. All gulls prefer a fish diet,
but gulls cannot dive to get below the sur
face. The gull must rise on the wing and
drive herself into the water by main force.
She is thus denied the power of selection
which the diver possesses, and must take
hold where she can, provided the fish is
not too large 10 swallow. in the season
when her brood is growing this would prove
a serious drawback on the parent S efficiency
but for an internal provision. Fish do not
always rise to the surface. At certain sea-
sons of the year and in severe weather at
any season, fish generally swim deep in the
water and give the surface fishers no chance.
At such times, the gull must depend on
shell-fish exposed along the shores by the
placed at disadvantage. The crow, if
fortunate enough to find a shell-fish, rises
with il into the air, letting it fail on stone,
whereby the shell is broken and the fish
easily obtained; but the gull either does not
know of this plan or considers II a waste of
means as she invariably swallows the she'll
fish whole. But shells are indigestible
even for a gull The gull, if so fortunate
as TO catch small bird (at a pinch, any
thing that can go down, is acceptable), does
not pick its bones like crow, but swallows
il entire, and feathers are as indigestible in
their way as shells. Further. the gull, if
very hungry. will feed on grain for time
and seem none the worse, while bird with
a stomach adapted to masticate animal food
only could derive no benefit from grain, but
positive harm. The gull may be said to
have three stomachs. The first stomach
begins at the mouth, or mandibles, extend
ing to the entrance at the breast, where the
second or stomach proper, begins, and
which terminates in the third, or gizZard.
Z The entrance at the mouth is more than
twice the size of the entrance to the other,
so that a fish or other object too large to en-
ter the second stomach is safely swallowed
and retained in the first, either till reduced
so as to pass easily, or TO be yomited when
required TO feed young ones. Shell-fish are
retained in the first stomach until the fish
is wasted out Of the shells, which are then
yomited. \ small bird is retained in the
same way. till only the feathers and harder
/ bones remain, and these are thrown up in
like manner And so with every other in
/ digestible substance taken along with food:
il never goes into the second stomach, eX-
cept grain. These, after a time in the first
stomach, pass on through the second to the
gizzard, there to be pounded into nourish-
ment for the bird. The advantages of this
remarkable provision in the gull are no
doubt many, but the following is instructive
and clear. have seen gull come to her
nest and vomit big fish for her young gulls.
/ In less than q minute she swallowed the
fish, flew TO a projecting crag in sight of
her nest, and sat down for half an hour,
after which she flew back and vomited the
fish to her hungry family. Now this strange
proceeding was simply a necessity. \
fresh fish will not pick easily off the bones,
and the beak of the young gulls Is soft.
The fish in the case before us had been too
short time in the parents stomach to be
easily devoured by the young gulls- Be
sides, herring is the common fish obtained
and herring have more or less oil below the
skin and about the fins. This oil is very
hurtful for young birds-makes them sick
and miserable; but short time in the first
stomach of the old gull extracts this oil,
sending it on to the second stomach TO feed
the parent, while the fish is not only ren-
dered more wholesome for her family, but
she can afford TO give them the whole of
it, being herself sustained by the extract.
In feeding tame gulls had to avoid her
ring, although | knew il was much valued
BY parent gulls: and failed, as | at last
discovered, because | could not extract the
sickening oil without spelling the fish.
The process of masticatiOn in the first
stomach of the gull is not little remarka-
ble. Take, for example, small bird.
/ The second day after the gull has swallowed
il, she vomits an object round as bobbin,
about an inch and a half long, or it may be
two inches, and tapering to one end like a
neatly formed plug. When this is dry, as
it is soon, examine it. 1t is a compound
of feathers, with the legs, feet, bill, and a
bit or two of the harder wing bones of the
bird, carefully folded in the center. Dur
ing the time since the bird was swallowed
a ceaseless process has been going on to
convert the bird into pulp and send it on to
the second stomach. But the entrance to
the second stomach is small, hence pro-
cess like whiting plug-only the reduc-
ton goes on in the center of the plug, not
on the surface-until everything nutritious
is extracted, and then the refuse is at once
rejected. This process is evidently enjoyed
by the bird all the time. Now suppose YOU
give a gull fish while the bird is inexhausted
in her nav. She takes the fish readily,
and apparently the bird lies in her stomach
neglected. until the fish is disposed of, and
then the bird is put into the mill afresh and
finished, the only difference being a day
later ere the feathery stopper is thrown up
If a gull is in difficulties she at once throws
out the contents of her first stomach-never
what has passed into her second. Does
nature anticipate such difficulties by press
Of work in the first stomach with the object
OF having its contents slowed away in the
second as soon as possible: