Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-07
GuLLs CROSS THE PACIFIC.
In the Wake of Transports and Get the
Crumbs Thrown Overheard.

From the San Francisco Chronicle.
We are proud of our great ocean liners
and the speed that they make, speeu
which has made foreign countries rldcu-
lously near and has brought the nations
close together. To the people OF hunoreo
wears ago the story that a vessel couio
cross the broad Pacific within a month
would seem like the sheerest fancy OF
romancer Yet at that time sea suils ex-
listed as they do at the present oay'
and they made their long trips without
provoking any especial comment. Iooav 1t
is looked upon as nothing very mar!eious
that birds are able to f1y from America 10
Asia and back again. But II we pause 10
consider it the feat is really something,
after all.
United States army transports, Tor THESE
ships carry many men, who, denied the
taste for books which renders an ocean
Journey less tedious and having limited IA
cilities for deck sport, take TO feeoing tne
guIls as a pastime. When one OF the Dig
vessels leaves the Golden Gate and passes
the Farallone Islands a hundred or more
brown bodies with long, sweeping wings,
leave their resting place and take up the
fight In the wake of the transport.
Then some soldier who has made the trip
before saws: Here come the sea gulls.
we'd better feed them if we want quick
passage this trip and many soldiers IN
wade the stewards premises ana gather up
the waste bread and victuals
The birds seem to know when they are
to be fed, for they come flying in ever mar
rowing circles until they are within short
distance of the ship. Then the food begins
to fall on the waters, and the brown
winged forms swoop eagerly down upon
the waves and seize what has been thrown
forth. This is continued until the food is
exhausted. and then the soldiers go below,
leaving the gulls to get away with their
food as they fly. They never seem to rest,
these queer birds. Day after day they fol-
low the ship, cleaving the air with swift
wings flying easily and without apparent
effort Indeed it seems If they were not
made to rest.
On the last trip of the transport Logan
one of the gulls had it's wing muscles in
iured in some way and dropped ftuttering
upon the deck. Its wide, goose-like bill open
and strange squawks coming from It's
throat A soldier spied it and took It to
his bunk. where he fed it daily until it be-
came strong again. Then he allowed 1t to
fly away. But the bird had not forgotten
his benefactor. Every day it would alight
on the deck, and allow none save this par
ticular man to feed 1t. 1t followed the boat
to Honolulu. to Guam and finally to Manila.
Where 1t rested during the two weeks the
Logan lay in Manila is not known, but
when the vessel turned on Its homeward
course, bound for Nagasaki, the first day
out found this gull, easily distinguishable
by f1eck of white on It's neck resting on
the stern. AS it's favorite soldier did not
appear. the gull graciously allowed others
to feed it, and continued it's trip with the
ship until the Logan passed the Farallone
Islands.
A peculiar incident was one that occurred
on the r. M. 8. Athenian on her last trip
from Yokohama to Vancouver. Five days
out, LOCO miles from land in any direction,
little owlet alighted on the deck and was
captured by the second steward. It was
baby owl, little bundle Of brown and
white feathers, and it blinked its eyes in
the daylight as 1t rested contentedly In the
cage which the steward provided.