The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1884-12-05
THE TROUBLES OF BABY Gull.
LEMOT.

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 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 yards 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
a 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 go. 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 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
on the sides by the warm down. The
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 q better
plan 1t turns the egg over with its
bill every once in a while, and 20 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
BAY of Fundy.
In addition to outside troubles, Baby
Guillemot has its own Stiffness to con-
tend with. No other Dird 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
parents. the guillemot has, for both
father and mother continually watch
over it, except at meal-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 vefv time, and at the risk of his
life allows himself to be let down over
the cliff by q 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 j:
not conscious of what is going on
but in about a month or q little
more. it breaks open the shell
and steps out on the ledge of rock. tn,
rrettiest little ball of gray black dowr
and happy moment for Papa and Nam
ma Guillemot! They caress the it'll,
fellow. offer MIN the daintiest morsel
| of fish they can find, and in fact pas
all their time in trying to make lif
| pleasant and comfortable for the new
| arrival
| But now Is the time when the eagl
and the hawk and the gull begin to cir
Gle about overhead, for in their estima
ton there is no daintier meal than
baby guillemot just born. For a mont
at least after it is Matched the poor Ii,
tie baby is every moment in danger {
being caught BY the cruel talons {
some fierce and hungry bird. who wi
ruthlessiy tear it from its happy HON
and loving parents and make but on
mouthful Of 1t.
And then. .fter that long month ,
fear and agony comes the time whe
Baby's courage is put to the sewers
trial of all. It is fully fedged nov
and able to swim, though it does n,
know it, and has no ides of what wats
is like even. However, Mamma know
that the time has arrived when Bal
must for the first time venture fro
home. She coaxes the frightened lit
fellow to mount upon her back. Z
knows that something unusual is goir
to happen. and his heart beats fast L
has confidence in Mamma. howeve
and though full Of fear, he crouches b
tween her wings. and holds on to Il
feathers with both feet and his long bill
4 Mamma. who is not . graceful wake
because her feet are 30 far back {
her body and her legs are 50 short. wa
DIES TO the edge Of the cli6, and IN