The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1905-03-04
FRANKLIN, LA. SATURDAY, MARCH l. 1905
LONG FLIGHT or SEAGULLs.
They Follow Army Transports Across
the Pacific and Back.

| TIC VdSiHC anu 6dCk.
We are pround of our great ocean
liners and the speed that they make,
a speed which has made foreign coun-
tries ridiculously near and has brought
the nations close together. To the peo-
| pie OF a hundred years ago the story
that vessel could cross the broad Pa
| clhc within month would seem like
/ the sheerest fancy of romancer Yet,
at that time, seagulls existed as they
| DO at the present day and they made
their long trips without provoking any
especial comment Today it is looked
| upon as nothing very marvellous that
birds are able to fly from America to
Asia and back again. But, if we pause
to consider it. the feat is really some
thing after all
These birds are especially fond Of
the United States army transports, for
these ships carry many men, who. de-
MED the taste for books, which rem
ders an ocean journey less tedious, and
having limited facilities for deck sport.
take to feeding the gulls as pastime.
When one of the big vessels leave
the Golden Gate and passes the Faral-
lone islands hundred or more brown
bodies with long sweeping wings leave
their resting place and take up the
Light in the wake of the transport.
Then some soldier who has made the
trip before says: Here come the sea-
gulls. We'd better feed them if we
want a quick passage this trip. and
many soldiers invade the stewards
premises and gather up the waste
bread and victuals.
The birds seem to know when they
are to be fed, for they come flying in
ever narrowing circles until they are
within a 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 ex-
hausted. and then the soldiers go be-
low, leaving the gulls to get away
with their food as they fly. They
never seem to rest, these queer birds. |
Day after day they follow the ship, !
cleaving the air with swift wings, fly !
ing easily and without apparent effort. I
Indeed, it seems sthough they were /
not made to rest.
On the last trip Of the transport
Logan one of the gulls had its wing /
injured in some way and
dropped huttering upon the deck, it's
wide. goose-like bill open, and strange
squawks coming from it's throat. A
soldier spied it and took it to its bunk,
where he fed it daily until it became
strong again. Then he allowed it to
ay away. But the bird had not for
gotten its benefactor. Every day it
would light on the deck and allow
none save this particular man to feed
t. It followed the boat to Honolulu.
o Guam. and finally to Manila Where !
t rested during the two weeks the Lo- bl
,an lay in Manila is not known, but "
when the vessel turned on its home "
ward course, bound for Nagasaki, the
lrst day out found this gull, easily
distinguished by feck Of white on it th
leck, resting on the stern. AS its fs
'orite soldier did not appear the gu
allowed others to feed !,
nd continued it's trip with the SIP
ntil the Logan passed the Farallde
Stands.
A peculiar incident was one thatoc-
urred on the r. NJ. S. Atheniar on
er last trip from Yokohama to IAN .
ouver. Five days out, 1000 tiles
rom land in any direction, little q
wlet alighted on the deck and was g
aptured by the secon dstewar 1t
'as a baby owl, little bun de OF
rown and white feathers, nd it
linked its eyes in the daylight as it
ested contentedly in the cage which
ne steward provided.