The sun., 1901-09-15
yannet lay only single egg which. how

! sf' oh' us-Nthik tttIEN t~ IhftDt otEN
fishing TO supply its wants, The writer
has fed twelve average--iz-d clans In quick
| succession to a captive, which could not
have b.sn more than six weeks old. Flying
at an elevation or hundred fect or there
abouts, the ganDet keeI- a sharp eye on
: the waves beneath When ish appears
within range, its watchful enemy goes down
! hkc a flash. tho wings almost closed till
near the water. and then with wings tight
shut II vani-he- from sight. TO reappcar a
| moment later with its prey. which l. swal-
lowed Will. the bird rests on the wavc-.
Nhen Il IL remembered that tvs gannet IN
heavy bird fully three fest long. Il will be
understood that this dive II notable per
iornance The gannets appear on tho
Long Island cnaSt In October and November.
and some are said to spend the winter there.
but the majority prefer warmer climate
for their winter residence.
About a month later than the gannets,
the kttiwake- return from their northern
nesting grounds Smaller han the herring
gulls. the species most often se"n In winter
In our harbors and riVers. they are even
more graceful and tirel,sSs on the wing and
are ready 20 Slecp on the water when Their
day j. ended Like all other gil!s, the
kittiwake will eat ANYTHING hut it, choice
IL fresh fish and more than most of It's kind
II conhnc~ itself to tlat diet. IL u can
take tho fisli alive. well and good, but " by
mo means Ncorns the hoatcf which IN"
wave brings within range All gulls are
and the kiitivake IL true TO th" tradii iOns
~ its Tace. but far lcss persistenily than
most OF it, Congpners. The duck iainily.
a. a rule. feed upon mollusk- crusiacodns
and aquatic plants. hut the incfgai'rcr-,
or sheldrakes. are fishing ducks, IN this
particular resembling looms and grrbcS
rather than their nearer relatives. There
are ihree Of these fishermen. IN" American
m"rgan-er or gouSand"r, th" r'-i-br"aF"i
mcrganser or shcldrak" and the hooded
. fI.fNa arr ttIf Ten lleal
messengers, the name hoing, apparently
corruption ~ tho true one. 1nry are
winter visitors To- tine Long Island shores.
the red-hrea-io,l being the most abundant
Like the looms and gr"b"H they obtain their
prey by pursuing II under water, their
saw-touthed bills enabling them To hold
II fast when captured
The hooded mcrgan-ar. "a very hand
some bird with STRIKING black and whit"
dress, has a magnificent r-smi-Circuiar
crrst boTdered with black and having a
white ccntrc II would seem a. IL this
extraordinary adoninen' would be no adj
vantage to a bird which has to make fast
time under water IN pursuit OF it's dinner,
and we find indeed hat !, frequently varies
it, fish diet by CourSe, of insects. seeds
and roots Al hP-t, however its frsh
remains rank and more or less unpalatable,
although some insist that u Is an excellent
table duck IL may be allowed that u l.
eatahla " hen 80 cooked and seasoned a- 10
well for mutton or ancient fowl or any
thing el-e you choose bat u may IT, ~"t
down a. established that no fi-h-eating bird
H. other than rank and fishy h"-hed Con
spquently be not b'guiled into purchasing
for the table ducks with -erraic bill-
They are IN the market. but not every
pot hunter H. an epicurp Two of our -ea
ducks. th" American guld"n-ey" and the
butiic.h.ad. ar" al-o fish eaters Ia such an
cNten, a. to make thcir flesh wholly un-
pa,atable
Another visiting fisherman along our
coasts Ia winter b. the TaIor-billcd auk, or
tinker. lt- cousin, th" great aux, was
last seen alive Ia ls4s ard 0n" could hardly
woudcr II the tinker al-o had becon- eN-
tiuct when II - learned that, a. far bacN ~
Audubons tim" thra men IN siN weeks
gathered f32 10 egg of this auk and us
relatives The Tayor-bll j. still with
Va, fortunately. though Ia sadly Decreased
numlsTs
OF fyr noted fi-horm.n which frequent
Southern waters az i'ast four have Ccca-
-iunaliy stmyci "a far North ~ Lgug
Island Thr-" five are The brown aud
the white P"iicans. the ingale bird IN"
,hs last named Icing the only one which |
has not been recorded from Long Island |
W the p-hcanS. the brown speS'te- proCure- /
it, fish hy diving lk" the gannet. though |
from lar lees elevation Being souI"- |
what over four feet IN length. Il naturally |
caus.-, a good deal Of cummuiion when Il |
I,lung.- into the water fiom - height Of |!
fifteen or twenty feet. aud ~ - said that 1
the splash may Ice heard hall "a mile. Both /
peliran- ara proviiei with huge pouches |
or skinny bags hung to th" lower oil and |
extending down along the 'hr at These /
bags hold a gallon or n'or". and the whit" |
peiicans u-- them a. a dip net, swimming |
IN 20 a school of small fish and simply I
-cuoping them IN.
The frigate, or man-o' war bird, catches |
nsh bv snatching them a. they swim near |
the surface or leap above II and. although |
measuring seven tn eight f"'l Ia extent of /
wing Is n swift and graceful a. a swallow /
The royal tern does not diner IN habits |
from the other terms already mentioned, |
but with one exception, - the largest of I
all it, family N" darter IL, excepting /
the cormorant. IN" Largest hiri which |
pur~uc- fish under water II - three feet I
Ia length and has th" serrated hill uf the |
inerganser. which prevents IT, victims !
from c~caping when ono" Sci/cd Like /
the grehe. the dartcr. whom alarmed. some
times sinks down IN the water without |
appareni effort. and then swims with only |
the head and neck visible. showing a singu- |
lar r-se'nhlsnC,. - snake.
Some oly-crvers think that they find |
among the birds prototype, uf all classes .
of men. According I" this idea tho tramp I
would discover hi ori yinnl ia the fish CROW /
THIS miserable object i- n Veritahle hobo
81 tho lowest twp ~ long a. gar-sage or |
ufsl or tho egg and Young of other birds
do not fail him he T. content with ths~e.
and /, -e,.n- doubt flil " hp ever fishes unless
ifnuallcd hy ns-..--itv Hi- weak .hs~itating.
uncurNin" cry. so different from the Nigur-
o,I- cav ~ tho common spe''cs. marks
him Tor the degenerate that he T. lir -
ESPECIALLY abundant along III" Hudson
Valley
The story nf tho hald "a gle and the osprey
has t-s'ti told tuo many tim'- tn b"ar re-
telling here. but tho osprey l. not ~. only
fisherman t. sun~r from n'rate- 6ulls