The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-10-31
MYRIADS OF BIRDS.
A HUGE LIVING CLOUD SWEEPS
OVER THE SEA.
Pursuing Their Helpless Prey-The
Sea Pigs Helping to Feed Their
Winged Companions-A
Wonderful Sight.

''Talking about BIRDS" said veteran
sea captain to a San Francisco .Alta re-
porter, ''when was youngster aboard
Boston clipper in the China trade 1
saw about the biggest and most varie-
gated collection of birds that ever met
q sailors eye, and old shelibacks see some
queer things in their cruises. We were
of the Rio de la Plata, that huge river
whose mighty waters disembogue into
the South Atlantic. Not a breath of
wind. The intense heat of the sun
caused a perceptible, transparent smoke
to rise from the decks, and rendered the
tarred shrouds and rigging soft and
sticky. Eight bells had Just struck and
the watches changed, when suddenly
away tC the southwest an in6nitesimal
black speck showed itself on the horizon.
Larger aud larger it grew. The mate,
an ancient mariner, looked at it intently
for few moments, then went below and
examined the barometer. There was no
change there. What could be the mat~
ter2 He called the captain and pointed
out to him the cause of his anxiety. 1t
had now attained the proportions of a
topsail. Its lower edge was lined with
a bright silver streak. That streak
was foam, the water churned into milk.
Another look at the glass. Still no
change there. The captains furrowed
visage assumed a peculiar, puzzled ex-
preston. Surely that was black cloud
stealing up, full of wind, and the squall
would soon be upon US. But why was
the barometer siIent2 The old man
looked up uneasily on the light sails.
Blacker and bigger grew the cloud, and
longer and whittier grew the silver edge
beneath. Lower away the roy
He was just about to finish the. order,
the glasses glued to his eyes, when
Never mindn-he had changed his
mind.
"Bang! went the glasses, as the old
man closed them sharply, and turning
round, glanced quizzically at the mate,
who responded with look of inquiry.
'What do you thinkn asked the Captain.
Don't know answered the mate
shortly. 'Well, they're BIRDS was the
answer.
"fes, that black cloud was BIRDS. It
extended over two points of the com.
pass now, and still increasing. In an
other second the naked eye could distin-
guish their individual forms. They were
birds indeed. Myrads of them. Every
species of sea bird was represented in
that vast army. There was the albatross,
sailing majestically along, its huge wings
outspread: the curlew, with its long,
spearlike bill and taper legs; the black
diver ard its red throated cousin. the
beautiful frigate bird, or bo'sun, as sail
ors call it. Ice-birds few ncck-and- neck
with the guillemots. Boobies and nod
dies jostled seagulls and snow birds.
Here the stormy retrel uttered its .pecu-
liar cry, and there the cape pigeon
showed its mottled breast. Besides all
these, hundreds of specimens unknown
to the ordinary sailor, and perhaps to
the ornithologst.
"In another ten minutes they covered
half the sky, solid black mass casting
an eyer-increasing shadow over the re6ec-
tive deep. And that silver line of foam !;
what was that2 A great army of por-
poises. The secret was out. These sea-
pigs, in an immense froNt, miles long,
were pursuing the smaller fish upon
which they prey. They were driving
vast shoals of bonita, dying fish and 9th.
ers before them. The fish, terrified,
hopeless. sprang from the water in their
agony and were caught. For the birds
above swooped upon what the porpoise
below failed to catch.
ct was wonderful sight. Hanging
beneath the blue vault huge dark veil
of birds. Birds everywhere as far as the
eye could reach, north, south, east and
west-all birds. The noise of those myr
lad wings sounded like the noise of a
rushing, mighty wind. The sun was OBJ.
scured, and thus to add to the solemnity
of the scene dusk settled on the waters.
Then a deep awe fell upon the little knot
of human witnesses of the divine power.
Never before he'd any one of those griz-
zled seamen beheld such sight. All
work was forgotten in the contemplation
of that wondrous scene. And still the
mighty aerial procession went on, and
still the great host of fish hurried on
their way, pursuing and pursued; and
still the vessel rolled heavily. But the
fap of the sails was no longer heard. The
noise of myriad wings. loud as the huri-
canes roar, drowned all else.
SIN another, minute that line of roll
ing bodies was within biscuit throw OF
the ships side. Then curious thing
occurred. That long line wheeled cor
rectly as regiment of grenadiers to the
eastward. Our ship as itlay there divided
the line a it swept round, but did not
break its symmetry, and the sea pigs,
driving their shoals of victims before
them, were soon away under our stern,
still wheeling until they disappeared to
the southwark. But the vast cloud of
birds still darkened the sky. Thousands
settled down on the sparS and rigging
and on the sea also, until to fire a
musker among those floating bodies
meant death to score.
"For haitian hour the SUN was hidden
and we were bathed in darkness.
Then break occurred in the procession,
and soon little black speck was seen
to the southwark 1t was the birds dis
appearing. But not all went. Millions
had settled down on the sea, until so far
as the eye could reach the water was
covered with them. They remained
there all night, and so great was the
noise of their croaking and shrieking
that no sleep visited the sailors in their
watch below.
"For two days we lay thus becalmed,
the birds drifting lazily about with us on
the waters, gorged with fish, quantities
of which i'oated around dead. On the
third evening flash of Fighting from
the southwest caused the old man to
rhnrtan coil and hnfnra ninht Wa Wern