Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-10-30
THE TROUBLES OF BABY GULL
LEMOT.

x - -
- AEtarE: Rerford, in ". 7. H,deossdsnt.
THE TROUBLES OF BABY GULL
! 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 a
baby. AZ "a ~ IL.
Itstronbles begin away back in the
time when it is only an egg. To under
stand about this and its other stroubles.
however. we shoulds begin Baby Gull
slemot's story at the time when Father
and Mother Guillemot begin house
Keeping - ft'essfS tf5&f
Although a bird with feathers and
swings like any other bird,e the guile
mot, swhichsis distantly related fo 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 90 to housekeeping, it spends
.al1sits time floating ION the bosom Of the
ocean, diving yards and yards down
into the waters depths in pursuit of
fish, or swimming miles and miles up
andkdown the coast.
y About the beginning of April is the
time when all good y guillemots set
about housekeeping. They have cer
tain lonely islands, all girt about with
high steep cliffs, to. which they. always
'go, and there they flock by the thou
sand and tens of thousands, until every
fedgcsfs covered. As they are Obliged
to stand upright, like SO many soldiers,
they show only s their pure. white
breasts, and the different lodges of
rock look as if they were covered with
snow.
Almost any other bird would build
somesknd of nest, but the guillenetgis
q very odd SORT ofsbird, and faysits one
spEtary eggs on the hartls bare arock.
TheBare rock, Of course, is ANYTHING
but warm up in the northern regions
where the guillemots 90. and therefore
the parent birds Ore obliged to invent al
way of warming the egg on all sides.
This. is the way they do 1t: 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
on the sides by the warm down. The
part that rests ON the rock is still left
out in the, cold,A 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 a while, and so keeps
it warm on every Side.
. Now the guillemot is found eyerv-
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 dock about the
Bay 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 thefacta
that vii suffer itself to be ken IA the
hand and Killed rather than leave the
cir it has chosen for its abode.
) But as lii to make up for its own
Stiffness. if ever baby had devoted
parents, the guillemot has, for both
father and mother continually watch
OYER it, except at neal-times, when
theyStake. tlfrns at Sitting ON the egg.
But for all their care they can not keep
trouble away; for man has been waiting
for this very time, and at the risk OF. his
life al ows himself to be let down over
thesclif 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 is
not conscious of what is going on;
but in about.aa month Oh a. little
more it breaks open 81 the she'll
and steps out on the ledge of rock. the
rrettiest little bah of gray black down
that eyeriwas seen. All! what a proud
and happy moment for Papa and Nam
ma Guillemot! They caress. the little
fellow, offer MIN the daintiest morsels
of fish they can find, and in fact pass
all their -timesin trying to make life
pleasant and comfortable forstEe new
arrival. W. - ~
But now is the time 'when the eagle
and the hawk and the gull begin to cir
Gle about overhead, for in their, estima-
ton there is no daintier meal thar a
baby guillemot just born. For month
at least after it is Matched the poor lit
tie baby is every moment in danger of
being caught BY thet cfuel talons Of
some fierce and hungry bird, who will
ruthlessly tear it from its happy home
and loving parents and make fbut one
of 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 fedged now,
and able to swim, though il does not
know it, and has no idea OF what water
islikesevens However Mamma knowse
ia at the time has arrived when Baby
must for. the first time venture fromj
home. She coaxes the frightened little
Eellow TO mount upon her back. He
knows that something unusual is going
to happen, and his heart beats fast. He
has confidence in. Mamma, however,
and though full of fear, he cro1ches be- |
tween her wings, and holds on to the |
feathers with both feet and his long bill. |
Mamma,who is not a graceful walker,
tecsuse sher feet are So far back on
her b1iv and her legs aresoshort Mad-
dies to the edge of the cliff, and anx-
Iously looks about her. Alas! there in |
her very path, right at the spet where |
she will stop, . great hungry black |!
backed gull is poised, waiting for her
precious fret CHIT. 1t is useless to try |
another direction. or to wait another
lay, for it viii always be the same. Ii |
not that gull some other gull will be
her and herlittle one. ,
Well she will call all her courage,
strength and cunning to her aid, and at
'nce brave the dangers Shesspreads
Ter gYingsa to their widest sextent,
herself into the air, and with