Evening star., 1944-06-13
This and That
By Charles E. Trdceueu.
upton STREET.


Dear Sir:
"In making a trip around the world
in l941-2, had some experiences with
sea gulls and ducks which might be of
interest. s
II left San Francisco in February,
1941, for Japan on a japanese steamer.
Sea gulls stayed with us out OF the Gold
en- Gate for several hours, the light
colored ones returning home, leaving
about a half dozen black ones. much
larger and with greater wing spread.
They remained with us clear on to
Yokohama.
Approaching Honolulu, other shore
gulls picked us up and in turn left us
few hours after Pearl Harbor where
the American feet was maneuvering.
The black gulls during daylight flew
back and forth, sometimes ahead a few
thousand feet, gliding outward the same
distance and, coming in, settled for a
moment or two on the water to pick
up food.
Il understood from the ships officers
that the gulls rested at night up in our
cross-trees.
From Japan I sailed up the Japan
Sea to Vladivostok, Siberia. Then l
went to Moscow and, finally, when
Moscow was threatened by the Germans,
out to Kuibyshiev, on the Volga, from
which few clear down to Sagos. on the
west coast of Africa from there sailed
on a fast Norwegian steamer for
Baltimore
I'VE wrestled with four German sub
marines and passed through much
floating wreckage and oil covered water
Just below Bermuda and coming into
the gulf stream we passed through
thousands of ducks trapped by oil. 1t
was pathetic to see their efforts to fly
out of our way, but they must paddle
away instead. This was in May, 1912.
Sincerely yours, w. A. W."
Gulls may be seen here on the Poto-
mac, and in the spring sometimes many
OF them may be seen in the Capitol
grounds, and at other downtown points,
feeding upon insects in the grass. Many
landlubbers think they are actually
eating grass!
The gull seen here is usually the
herring gull. Gulls are not good at div
ing way down in the water, and the only
fish they can catch are those which
come close to the surface
Hence gulls eat everything from in
SectS to mice The California gull is
very fond Of mice 1t is on record that
once during plague of field mice in
Nevada sWarmS of these gulls swept IN
and cleaned up the alfalfa fields
Franklins gullS help with the insect
problem in the DakotaS and Wisconsin.
The gull is one of the few birds to
have monument erected to it. In Salt
Lake City there is a monument showing
two gullS in bronze, erected by the city
in remembrance of the aid given bv
the California gull from l848 to 1850
when crickets threatened to ruin the
crops.
GullS often feed upon garbage. In this
city they come to the Army War College
for such proVender. They are particu-
larly fond of centipedes and millipedes
When you see a gull eating on lawn
feel pretty certain that he is after such
pests.
Chief enemies of ducks and geese, ac-
COrdng to the experts, are crude oil,
shooting, natural enemies, botulsm,
chemicals, lead poisoning. and destruC-
ton by climatic conditions
Spread of crows and coyotes result in
fewer ducks
herring gullS are very long lived.
Records show them to live to be at least
40 years old. Compare this with the
robin, known to live to eight years, pro-
vided 1t does not fall a prey
Gull feathers were once used for hat
ornamentation (the ladies were to
blame), and tern eggs were collected by
the thousands for food, but brave work
of pioneer bird lovers stopped such traf-
e. L. 49, I@oI a =
around the world gives our water birds
such time of it. Well. we know who to
blame for their woes.