The Tupelo journal., 1915-08-27
A GROTESQUE BIRD
The Tufted Putin Is the Joke Of
the Arctic Seas.
TO LOOK AT HIM is TO LAUGH.

This Curious Creature Is Silent, Tran
quill and DroIl, With an Air Of Pro-
found Gravity and Spends His Win.
tiers Roaming Over the Ocean.
1t is a curious fact that the far
north and the far south each has a
sea bird peculiar to itself. and in both
cases these birds. although unlike n
another in general appearance, are
among the oldest looking members Of
the bird family that the world contains.
The characteristic bird of the ant
arctic regions is the penguin, whose
strutting companies. gathered on an
icy shore. look like assemblages OF
little men. in long tailed black coats
and spotless white ~waistcoats, waiting
to sit down at ceremonious dinner.
The characteristic bird Of the arctic
regions Is the aux, IA thick set, awkward
creature. fond of fishing, like the pen
gum. The largest member of the fam
lily. the great aux" or "gare fowl
has been driven into extinction within
historic times. Another member, which
| the Audubon societies are trying to
protect, is the queer looking. laughter
exciting. and yet very grave and ear
nest native citizen Of the north Pacific
shores and islands, called the tufted
putin.
When the tufted putin is looking his
best (Which is, Of course, during the
counting season. he wears a big red
beak and a white mask. through which
his green, red trimmed eyes CLEAN
strangely, and shows a pair of bright
vermilion legs and feet. From the top
of his mask. on one side yer the ear,
curls a long golden white feather
horn" 1t seems that no description Is
able to convey the ludicrous impress
sion which these birds make upon the
beholder. Sailors seeing them for the
first time break into outlaws Of laugh
ter. They call them "sea parrots" and
on account Of their drolly grave a
ners they have also been nicknamed
"Quakers."
Says William Leon Dawson: "1t Is
difficult to e~xaggerate the gravity OF
these tranquil birds. always absolute
ly silent. save that when caught and
harassed. they may emit a low, hoarse
groan. They spend much time stand
ing demurely at the entrances of their
burrows. their little plumes nodding
like tassels on SO many caps"
Like all the auks. the puffins are es-
p~ecially remarkable for the great size
of their beakS and the changes which
their heads undergo at the breeding
season. Some of the horny plates of
the big beak fall away at the end Of
the season. the white mask on the face,
together with its nodding plumes, dis
appears. the red eyelids fade and the
whole head becomes blackish.
Naturalists are a little puzzled to ac-
count for the size and stoutness Of the
pufhn's beak. If the bird were fond
of CLAIMS its beak might be of use as a
shell breaker. but it seems not to be
employed in that way. Neither is it
used to dig the tunnels or burrows
that the bird forms for its nest in the
hard soil of sea fronting cliffs. These
are excavated to a depth of three or
four feet. and apparently the only
tools used are the sharp nailed claws.
In some places it is estimated that
several thousand burrows exist IN a
single acre Of sloping shore. The rab-
bits and putins engage in a lively CON-
petition for the possession of burrows
on the Farallones islands, but the big.
pyramid pointed beak gives easy VIC
tory in these contests. Mr.. Dawson
says a frightened rabbit will sometimes
plunge hastily into a burrOw without
stopping to consider to whom it be-
longs, and when he comes out again.
with more haste than ever, he is a
subject for laughter.
The natives of the north Pacific is
lands depend largely upon pufins for
both food and clothing. The Aleutian
.parkas." or feather coats, are made
of the skins of pufins, with the feather
| side turned inward. Forty-fve or fifty
skins sewed firmly together make a
garment which is said to be nearly
impervious to cold. The birds are Of
ten caught in fight by means Of nets
at the end Of poles handled like butter
fly nets. Unlike birds that are more
| skillful and agile on the wing. the puff
| fins fy straight ahead and are unable
to dodge quickly.
Strange as the statement may APP
pear the puffins, like the auks general
ly, spend the winter at sea. At that
| season they are to be seen on land only
when driven ashore by some resistless
| tempest. which strews the beaches
with their battered forms. many dead
and many hopelessly famed. With the
advance of spring and summer they
approach the shores where they are
accustomed to breed, and then the re
markable changes Of their colors. form
and plumage that have been already
described begin to take place.-Gar-
rett P. Serviss in Spokane Spokesman
Review.