The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-11-07
, BABY's TROUBLES.


OF course all babies have troubles.
ANYBODY who has ever been a baby
knows that; but without doubt the
Baby Guillemot has more trouble and
excitement than any other kind of
baby.
Its troubles begin away back in the
time when it is only an egg. To under
stand about this and its other troubles.
however. we should begin Baby Gull
lemot's story at the time when Father
and Mother Guillemot begin house
keeping.
Although q bird with feathers and
wings like any other bird, the guile
mot, which is distantly related to the
duck family, very much prefers the
water to the air. indeed, it is more at
home in the water than the fish that
belong there, and except when it is
ready to go to housekeeping, it spends
all its time floating on the bosom of the
ocean, diving yards and yar,s down
into the waters depths in pursuit of
fish, or swimming miles and miles up
and down the coast.
About the beginning of April is the
time when all good guillemots set
about housekeeping. They have GER
tain lonely islands, all GRIT about with
high steep cliffs, to which they always
90, and there they flock by the thou
sand and tens of thousands, until every
ledge is covered. As they are obliged
to stand upright, like so many soldiers
they show only their pure white
breasts, and the different lodges of
rock look as if they were covered with
snow.
Almost any other bird would build
some kind of nest, but the guillemot is
very odd sort of bird, and lays its one
solitary egg on the hard bare rock.
The bare rock, of course. is anything
but warm up in the northern regions
where the guillemots 90. and therefore
the parent birds are obliged to invent a
way of warming the egg on all sides.
This is the way they do it: They pluck
the feathers and down from off a mar
row strip on the breast, and then sit
down SO that the egg touches the barred
skin, and at the same time is covered
part that rests on the rock is still left
out in the cold, however, and one
might suppose that the down which
had been plucked off would be placed
under that spot. But it is not; it is
thrown away, for the bird has better
plan. 1t turns the egg over with its
bill every once in while, and so keeps
it warm on every side.
Now the guIliemot is found every
where in the Arctic Seas of the Old
and New Worlds. In the winter they
come southwark IN large parties along
the coast of Norway and England, Hud-
son Bay, Labrador and Newfoundland.
Audubon tells us that large numbers of
American guillemots flock about the
Bav of Fundy.
In addition to outside troubles, Baby
Guillemot has its own Stiffness to con
tend with. No other bird is so lacking
in wit. One species common in Great
Britain is even given the title of Fool
ish Guillemot.' This is from the fact
that it will suffer itself to be taken in the
hand and killed rather than leave the
cliff it has chosen for its abode.
But, as If to make up for its own
Stiffness. if ever a baby had devoted
father and mother continually watch
over it, except at neal-times, when
they take turns at sitting on the egg.
But for all their care they can not keep
trouble away; for man has been waiting
for this yerv time, and at the risk of his
life allows himself to be let down over
the cliff by a rope in order that he may
gather the guillemots' eggs for food.
Thousands of eggs are stolen from the
cliffs in this way.
This is the least of Baby's troubles,
however. for being only an egg, 1t is
not conscious of what is gong on;
but in about a month or little
more it breaks open the shell
and steps out on the ledge of rock, the
Grettiest little bail of gray-black down
That ever was seen. All! what proud
and happy moment for Papa and Mann
ma Guill,mot! They caress the little
fellow, offer MIN the daintiest morsels
of fish they can find, and in fact pass
all their time in trying to make life
pleasant snd comfortable for the new
arrival.
But now is the time when the eagle
and the h=wk and the gull begin to cir
Gle about overhead. for in their estima-
ton there IS no daintier meal than
baby guill.mot just born. For month
at least at3er it is Matched the poor lit
tie baby is every moment in danger of
being caught by the cruel talons of
some fierc5 and hungry bird, who will
ruthlessly tear it from its happy home
and loving parents and make but one
mouthful at 1t.
And then after that long month of
fear and agony comes the time when
Baby's courage is put to the severest
trial of all. 1t is fully l.edged now,
and able to swim, though i. does not
know it, and has no idea o. what water
is like even. However. Mamma knows
That the tine has arrived when Baby
must for the first time venture from
home. She coaxes the frightened little
fellow to mount upon her back. He
knows that something unusual is going
to happen, ind his heart beats fast. He
has confidence in Mamma, however,
and though full of fear. he crouches be-
tween her wings, and holds On to the
feathers with both feet and his long bill.
Mamma, who is not graceful walker.
because her feet are so far back on
her bo " and her legs are so short. wad-
dies to the edge OF the cliff, and anx-
iously looks about her. Alas! there in
her very path, right at the spot where
she will stop, a great hungry black
backed gall is poised, waiting for her
,,rnciouS freipht II iS useless TO try