The Devils Lake world and inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1915-1920, 1915-08-26
A CRoTESQUE 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 DroII, 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 one
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 c~eremonious dinner.
The characteristic bird of the arctic
regions is the aux, q 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 vet 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. OH n side over 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 man.
ners they have also been nicknamed
| "Quakers."
Says William Leon Dawson: "lt is
difficult to exaggerate 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 noddfng
like tassels on SO many caps"
Like all the auks. the putins are es-
pecially remarkable for the great size
Of their beaks and the changes which
! %1,oS,. l,>o1o .,vlo~DD ~ %k,o l.ooI;,.
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 holding plumes. dis
appears, the red eyelids fade and the
whole head becomes blackfsh.
Naturalists are a little puzzled to ac-
count for the size and stoutness Of the
puffin's beak. If the bird We're fond
Of clans IFS beak might be Of use az 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 it's nest in the
hard soil of sea fronting cliffs. These
are e%xcavated to a depth of three or
four feet. and apparently the only
ONiS uSCu AlS Liz VIC y l VI" VS..
In some places it is estimated that
several thousand burrows exist on a
single acre Of sloping shore. The rab-
bits and puitinS engage in a lively COM
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
| ~ xS 81 fr;rhtnpo1 ,o1,bit will cnn,nfir,o,
plunge hastily into IL burrow without
stopping to consider to whom it be-
longs. and when lie ome out again,
with more haste than ever, he is Il
subject for laughter.
The natives of the north Pacific is
lands depend largely Upon pufins for
both food and clothing. The Aleutian
of the skins Of puffins. with the feather
side turned inward. Forty-five or fifty
skins sewed firmly together make Il
garment which is said to be nearly
impervious to cold. The birds are Of
ten caught in flight by mean of nets
at the end of poles handled like butter
fly nets. Unlike birds that are more
ShAil4ul LII iEAlC VII AN ihc lhC Pun
fins fly straight ahead and are unable
to dodge quickly.
Strange as the statement may ap.
pear the puffins, like the auks general.
~, spend the winter ut sea. at that
season they are to be seen on land only
when driven ashore by ome 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 art
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.
Beggars Of Costa RIGA.
One day q week the beggars Of Cost:
RIGA are privileged chal1cters-that is