The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-07-05
QUEER BOOSTING PLACES
Weary Birds Which Seek Rest on
the Backs of Their Fellows.
The AmiabIe Pelican often Serves as
Perch for the Laughing GuIIs in
the Gulf of MexicO-White Herons
Frequently Enjoy n Siesta the
Rhin"cerOs-Habitso of other Species

Anyone who has crossed the Atlantic or
Pacific cannot have failed TO notice the
land birds which seek shelter and rest
upon the vessel. often hundreds Of miles
from shore Sometimes ii is an eagle that
aIights on the truck or yard arm; again a
troop of delicate sparrows, or even a hum
ming bridal so weary and exhausted that
they have lost all fear and almost seem
to court the friendship of human beings.
A fisherman on the Maine coast who
daily sailed out ten miles from shore said
that he frequently was visited by shore
birds. which alighted on his dory and
made themselves perfectly al home. Such !
birds. and those which visit the steamers
out at sea, have been blown from their
course during the season OF migration. Thus
in the fall and spring long lines Of migrat-
ing birds extend up and down the coast
The majority fly al night, high in the air.
following the shore line or a mountain
range; and il caught in a gale and blown
out to sea they lose their bearings. be-
come confused and fly on. alighung on
vessels when perfectly exhausted
Wlen ships and boats are not available
birds viii alight upon almost any object I
have seen a gull standing on the back OF
a sleeping loggerhead turtle in the Gulf OF
Mexico. apparently much az home. and the
huge basking shark, which is often seen
foating on the surface, its brown back ex
posed. has been observed almost covered
with sea birds, which undoubtedly thought
a shark a log or a piece OF wrsckage dis
covering their mistake suddenly when the
shark rolled over or sank beneath the
waves
The laughing gulls Of the Gulf Of Mexico
and Southern California waters have
singular fancy for ToOsting upon the back
OF the brown pelican, which ! have often
observed. But this is not always TO rest.
as the gull reaches out when the pelican
secures a sardine and often snatches II.
Sometimes the gull rrosts upon TIE round
head OF the pelican. its wings held aloft
in the effort 10 preserve its balance 4
singular feature OF this intrusion and i'm
peTtinence on the part Of the gun Is that
the pelican never resents Sat least not
in the scores Of instances observed by me.
so far as appearances went. being aware
that il was being trampled upon By the
inquisitive. laughing gull which. when II
had secured its fish BY the most barefsced
methods. went flying away with victo-
r;oUs "Ha. ha,'
Remarkable Sea Bird.
The Santa Catalina Channel, in Southern
California waters. is a tayurite field in
summer for the giant mola. or sunfsh-
one OF the most remarkable OF all the
denizens Of he sea- rotund chopped of
creature which resembles nothing Some
wit has described II as the fish that was
originally very long and was chopped of
10 suit its requirements; and apparently
this is what happened as the fish has lit
orally no tail. tie place being taken by
what appears 10 be q mere rim or fril
rrh ~
The sunhsh, like the baskIng shark, has
a singular habit OF lying on the surface
in the wash Of the waves. and Is almost
always taken for a piece OF wreckage.
In August il the Santa Catalina Channel
they are free 1ently seen floating in a
heavy sea. lying broadside up, the pectoraI
I I'm slowly flaming the air-the only evi-
dence OF life about the strange object Why
the FISH takes this position is 10 a certain
extent unknown. but think Il is due In
some instances to the fact that the crea-
ture Is infested with many parasites which
live in the thick mucus which covers its
skin. and that it endeayors TO destroy
them BY exposing itself 20 the direct rays
Of the sun.
These fish attain en- enormous size.
was spending some weeks at the mouth OF
| the St Johns River some years ago. when
sunfsh ran aground on the bar as would
a ship drawing over ten feet Of water As
soon as IL struck II keeled over and began
, TO thrash about, attracting so much etSen-
ton that boat was sent out to secure it.
The fish measured from the top OF one fin
TO that OF the other eleven feet and must
have weighed over 1000 pounds An equal
ly large specimen was taken of Redondo
Beach Cal They are sluggish fish so that
have rOwed alongside and hooked them
with a boathOok OF gan
One OF the largest ever seen WAS har-
poOned Of Santa Catalina Island few
years age. II was estimated al twenty feet
across and TO weigh 2.eOO pounds The
fish was lying prone upon the surface and
was so sluggish that il barely moved when
the heavy harpoon was driven into il. II
soon began 10 settle and il was the opiD-
ion Of those in the boat that If me rope
had not broken the giant would have
dragged the launch beneath the water
These fish afford an excellent roost for
various sea birds, and the spectacle Of a
sunhsh bearing several gulls or a-cor-
morant is often witnessed; in such case
II might readily be taken for wreckaze
1t is possible that the gulIs aid in free
| ing the great fishes OF their parasitic enc
mics. alfghting upon them as the little
African bird enters the mouth OF the eroco-
ollie, which patiently opens Il for the pur-
pose Such resting places are more or less
unsteady, but by continual practice the
n
| well exemplifed by the gulls which follow
the steamers which ply between San Pedro
| and Avalon. Cal The birds follow the
steamer cut and back fight Of forty
| miles. and when they become weary they
appear to take turn in alighting on the
| round golden ball which surmounts the
| mast. This almost impossible resting place
| pitches about IN all directions; now for
| ward or backward or from eide to side
| sometimes Jerking the bird off: but, as a
| rule. these feathered acrCbats retain their
position, even in the toughest weather.
Animals Drafted Into Service.
In Africa, especially in the grea:
| swamps, certain birds employ a varsity of
animals roosts- small white heron
has a special fondness for the rhinoceros,
often being seen sitting on its back. its
pure white body IN sharp contrast to the
| black and mud covered living roost The
great water buffalo IS often fairly COW
cred with the birds, popularity known as
| OK biterS, which run over its body, cling
ing to the long hair, ears or tail, hang
ing in clusters about the patient animal.
| and rise above II in clouds and focks ut
! tering vociferous cries when the roost, per
| chance 10 relieve itself from the noisy
| throng, rolls in the deep mud Of the
swamp.
The camel is often used by several birds
as a rooSt, and undoubtedly s1 these birds
repay the animals by destroying the
| various parasites which infest them Dur
| ing the present winter In riding across
country In Southern California came upon
a flock Of sheep grazing On q little mesa
| Many Of the sheep carried about on their