THE BANISHMENT OF THE GULLS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 107, 7 May 1943, Page 5

THE BANISHMENT OF THE GULLS

(By LORNA ROWLANDSON) There was great agitation amongst the inhabitants of the bush which long ago covered the neck of land between the two inlets, the Waitemata and Manukau harbours. For weeks there had been no diminishing in numbers. M est However, down beside the biggest river, which was now' only \»cK'e there was some gi { so when a scout brougnt ballk . plfnishment for hoarding will be decided a ' This was a good plan, but the gulls did not think so, as they had been used to plenty of food at any time, even during the night They soon wondered if't would eventually kill them, as they became so very hungry during the night, but they slowly got used to it, and slept all through the night. However, when it was time for breakfast, .they were so hungry that they took a little more than their ration, and were severely lepnmanded for it — indeed, they had to go without their lunch. One day a shrewd gull found a hole in the trunk of the kauri in- which they had made their home. _ "I have an idea, he announced at bedtime. Let us, at midnight to-night, get up and each get an extra ration of food and store it in the hole."

"But," protested a young gull, "what about the punishment if we hoard?"

"Poof!" said the older one. "No one will find the hole if we cover it with bark."

Unfortunately, however, they made a mistake by covering the hole with rimu bark instead of kauri, and so an observant pigeon noticed it and told the king.

At the court which was helcl to sentence the gulls,, the judge decided that they should be banished from the bush forever. Poor gulls! There had still been no ram, and they did not know where they would find anything to eat. After flying aimlessly for some time, someone saw the "Oh, look!" he cried. "Water! Surely there will be some food there." When they arrived at the beach, a young gull cried, pointing his beak to some piper jumping out of the water, "Look! What is that?" He flew off to investigate, and was back presently with a shining piper in his beak. "I don't know what it is, but I think it can be eaten," he said when he had joined the others. But unfortunately when they took a bite they all got a borie in their throats. They have been crying ever since. Nevertheless, they were very happy catching fish just whenever they wanted it, and soon they learned to swim. However, the drought did not last for ever, and when the gulls saw the rain coming they went into the forest to tell the other birds and also to ask for their pardon. But the birds told them to go back to their piper, and, anyway, they kept the babies awake with their crying. However, the gulls were undaunted, and so every time the rain is coming the gulls fly inland to tell their brothers about it and also to ask for pardon, but each time they are refused it and return to the sea. , . Even if you go down to the beach today, you will hear them crying about the bones in their throLts.