The Greedy Gull.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XL, Issue 16, 15 April 1908, Page 69

The Greedy Gull.

He was greedy, there was no doubt about it, and, what is more, he was a bully. Naturally, he was not very popular, and there was general rejoicing when he came to an end of his career. It happened in this way. •' He had been particularly disagreeable in the morning, interfering with the younger gulls who were quietly learning to fish in a smooth pool under the cliff. Whenever one of them, after a great struggle, would rise gasping and spluttering to the surface of the waves with a small fish in its beak, George, the greedy gull, would swoop down from a high rock, where he had been watching the performance, and snatch away the dainty morsel before the exhausted and astonished owner could offer any resistance.

He performed the trick with success several times, and felt quite pleased with himself over it. It saved him a great deal of bother and trouble in looking out for fish himself, and as he only practised it on young birds who were much smaller and weaker than himself, he felt perfectly safe. He would never have dared to do it with the old Cormorant, for instance, for he knew that if he did he would instantly have received a severe pecking from his very powerful bill; so ne very wisely confined his attentions to the younger and weaker birds. All the morning George went on with this cowardly game, and reduced the whole troop of, young gulls to a state of helpless despair.; they, were too frightened to do anything; and whenever one did summon up courage to dive for a fish, when he thought George was not looking, no sooner was the catch made than George swooped down from somewhere or other, swallowed it in one gulp, and flew off with a harsh, mocking laugh. Mrs Oyster-catcher had watched these proceedings from the shore with great indignation, and at last she made up her mind that she would try to pu ta stop to it. She was a very busy little person, who spent her time running along the beach, close to the sea, picking up things here, there, and everywhere, and. now and then taking a short flight for a little distance, to see what was going on; so she generally know what was happening in every corner of the bay. George happened to alight enar her once, wneh he had just secured two or three good catches, and she took the opportunity to run up and say to him, “Why don’t you go round to the far corner, near the point? There’s lots of food to be picked up there, without any trouble.” George was rather surprised that Mrs Oyster-catcher should take the trouble to tell him ; but, as he was always ready to get something to eat when he could, he flew off to the point as quickly as he could. Mrs Oyster-catcher looked after him for a moment, and then returned to her business, saying to herself, “I don’t think he will trouble us any more.” George flew high in the air. and when he came to the place that Mrs Oystercatcher had mentioned, he saw a wonderful sight. The whole of the surface of the sea seemed to be covered with fish, which were floating on the top of the water. "My wings and bill!” said George to himself, “this looks all right. They’ve drifted in after a storm, I suppose!” He did not notice a small boat with a fisherman in it, that was lying close under the point. “Now foT my celebrated swoop!’’ said he. He hovered for a moment, high above the water, then closed his wings and eame down like a shot, straight on one of the largest fish. There was a tremendous splash, his beak struck the floating object, but alas, for George! It was not a real fish at all. but a heavy block of wood painted to look like one. George’s neck was broken at once, and the fisherman quietly rowed out and picked up his ls>dy and threw it into his boat, and that was the eml of the greedy gull;