The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-26

1OtHI, perspective duu COIOrlHS OF Lne
original.
GULL FARMING. A novel industry is
conducted by an old bayman on the south
coast of Long Island. He devotes some
months of the year to the farming of sea-
gulls, and manages to make a very good
living out of it. Fashion decreed that
gulls' wings should be the prevailing
adornment for women's hats, and the
price OF pair of wings ran up to 80 cents.
The baymen at once turned themselves
into gull-hunters, almost to the neglect of
the wild ducks and geese that formerly
gave them livelihood. There was more
money in killing gulls than any other
birds, for man could bag several hundred
in day. Naturally the supply soon run
out, and the old bayman, Fritz Gritinan,
saw his opportunity. Gulls do not sit on
their eggs, but leave them on the beach
and let the sun and warm sand hatch
them. Gritman collected all the eggs he
could ind and placed them IN little round
holes in the sand near his hut. When
Matched out, the young birds were con-
fined within strong, large-meshed wire
netting. This kept off the Old gulls, but
did not prevent their feeding the young
birds with fish, which they would drop
to them from above. In this way the little
q
the birds are large enough to fly they afe
turned out, but they are attached to the
place, and, although they leave in the au-
tumn, they always come back in the
spring. They usually get all the fish they
need, but when the food supply runs
bay, thrown the small fish of his catch to
the gulls, and sends the large ones in ice to
market. The value of pair of young
gdlPs wings is now about 80 cents, and
their breast feathers are better liked than
duck feathers for fine pillows. The
strangest point about this singular industry
is that many of the gulls are sold for trap
shooting, for which many gunners prefer
them to pigeons. They are said to get up
quicker and fly more readily from the trap.
Orders are placed early in the season by
the shooting clubs on the island and the
birds are duly shipped in boxes.
MUSICAL REGIsTRATIoN.-There is piece
of mechanism which registers visibly and
with unerring certainty the manner in
which a piece has been played on the
piano. On piece of paper a record is
made of the entire performance, the dura-
ton of the notes, the rapidity of attack,
the variations in touch, legato, staccato,
crescendo, diminuendo; in short, every
thing indicative of the degree of musical
execution and expression that has
been attained. The apparatus, which
is an adaptation Of the phono-
graph, can easily be applied to any
piano. A guttapercha tube is placed be-
meath the keys, and its extremities are in
communication with the registering cylin-
der. To this is attached an linked stylus,
which makes its impressions upon
band of paper drawn along at a
regular rate by clockwork. Each key
struck inscribes its mark, and it is enough
to glance at the register to ascertain with
what force, speed, etc., the fingers have
done their work. If the left hand is lag
gard or weak the tale is told, and all the
false notes are faithfully set down. When
the piece is finished the performer has at
hand an exact record of what he has done,
and is in position to compare his render
ing with that of other artists, or with pre-
vious performances of his own. The ear,
in fact, is surpassed and superseded. This
apparatus points to the time when the
newspaper musical criticisms of public per-
formances will assume both the appear
ance and unanimity of meteorological
charts.
It is very difficult to get position in
the Marlborough House menage. The
preference is usually given to those previ-
Ously trained in the household of the