The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-05-31
BIRDS WORK TOGETHER.

Turnstone is the name of a variety
of shore birds that are allied to the
plovers and the sandpipers. This name
has been given to them because of their
singular manner of feeding With their
strong bills they turn over the small
stones lying IN the sand of the beaches
to find the insects that may be shell
tered underneath. If the stone Is too
heavy for the bill. they push 1t over
by applying the breast to the upper
side. A Scotch naturalist tells how a
number of these birds worked together
to turn over a fish which was too heavy
for one alone to move.
Passing along the seashore, he say j,
observed on the sands. at considerable
distance before me, two birds beside a
large object. Knowing by their APP
pearance that they did not belong to
the species which are usually met with
In this quarter. l left the beach and
proceeded along the sand, an eminence
of single intervening, until l conclud-
ed that l was almost opposite the spot
where the birds were employed.
At last l came in sight Of the two
little workers, which were busily en-
deav0ring to turn over dead fish that
ishing to disturb them, and anxious at
the same time to witness their opera
tons, observed that few PAGES near
or them there was deep hollow among
the shingIe. into which 1 contrived to
creep unobserved.
Having got fairly settled down In my
pebbly observatory, l turned my un-
divided attention to the birds before
me. They were boldly pushing at the
fish with their bills and then with their
breasts. Their endeavors, however.
were in vain; the object remained inn
movable.
On this they both went round to the
opposite side and began to scrspe
away the sand from beneath the fish.
After removing a considerable quaint
~, they again came back to the spot
Which they had left, and went once
more at work with their bills and
breasts. but with as little apparent sue
cess as before. Nothing daunted, how
ever, they ran round a second time to
the other side, and recommended their
trenching operations with seeming
determination not to be baffled in their
object, which evidently was to under
mine the dead creature before them, In
order that it might he the more easily
overturned
While they were thus employed, and
after they had labored In this manner
at both sides alternately for nearly half
an hour, they were joined by another
of their own species, which came fly
ing with rapidity from the neighbor-
Ing rocks. Its timely arrival was hail
ed with evident sigr OF joy. / was
led to this conclusion rom the gestures
which they made, ara from a low but
pleasant murmuring uoisc to which
| they gave utterance as soon as the
newcomer made his appearance. OF
their feelings he seemed TO be perfect
| ly aware, and he made his reply TO
them In a similar strain.
Their mutual congratulations being
over, they all three set to work, and
after laboring vigorously for a few
minutes in removing the sand, they
came round to the ether side, and put
| ting their breasts to the fish, succeed
| ed in raising it some inches from the
sand, but were unable to turn It over.
| 1t went down again into its sandy bed.
to their manifest disappointment.
Resting, however, for space, and
without leaving their respective posi-
| tione which were a little apart the
one from the other, they resolved, II