Outlines for Scout Workers, XVIII

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"Look! the sea-gulls feed upon him, Yes, my friends Kayoshk, the sea-gulls; Drive them not away, Nokomis, They have saved me from great peril In the body of the sturgeon, Wait until their meal is ended, Till their craws are full with feasting, Till they homeward fly at sunset, To their nests among the marshes." Hiawatha, Longfellow. Thirty forms of gulls and near allies are found in North America. Of these, three are in reality eastern hemisphere hirds which occasionally wend their way to our continent. Five others spend their entire time in Canada and never venture southward to the United States. Fourteen breed in the arctic regions and come to our country only in migration or during the colder months of winter. Only one of the thirty breeds south of the United States and this habitually visits our waters during summer migrations. Thus, of the whole number of these sea birds, not more than seven both breed and winter in the United States. Strange as it may seem, one-sixth of all the gulls and allies of the North American continent have representatives in our inland country. Every summer witnesses the California, Ring Bill, Franklin, and Bonaparte gulls, floating upon the waters of Great Salt Lake, and at times the Sabine gull is numbered among them. Of these the California is by far the most numerous and is the one with which we are best acquainted. The Ring Bill, however, is a regular breeder on the lake islands, and is also quite generally known throughout the country contiguous to our inland sea. The California bird, somewhat larger than the Ring Bill, measures ordinarily from twenty to twenty-three inches in length. Its boat-shaped body is interestingly fitted to floating upon water and cutting through air, and its comparatively long, powerful bill admirably suited to seizing and killing desired prey. The bill is yellowish in color and, like that of the Ring Bill gull, bears a characteristic black marking called a ring how- ;

ever, with the latter bird, the ring encircles the entire bill, while with the Calif ornian it is found only on the lower part. The beautiful bird under consideration is mantled with a clear, bluish gray covering, and his black primary wing feathers are appropriately tipped with contrastive white. The female, a little smaller than the male, is very much like him in both color and markings, although her attire is more subdued with contrasts less showy. To her belongs the privilege of selecting a companion from among the proud males, and in this, of course, she has but litttle need for attractive gowns and striking contrasts. These, certainly, would prove detrimental to her best

Mahonri M. Young. THE GULL MONUMENT, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH. The Only Bird Monument in the United States.

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interests, for her chief concern is in hatching eggs and rearing young in a manner least observed by lurking enemies. The gull, though not a songster, has a distinguishing cry-like call quite familiar to all who know him. He is especially noisy in the spring during mating season and seems to use his call to attract coveted females and also as a means of warning against possible danger. Hat, or Bird, Island, in Great Salt Lake, is the favorite rendezvous for the many gulls of our famous basin. Bird students estimate that in the neighborhood of fifteen thousand gulls, mostly California and Ring Bill, make their summer home upon this isolated, guano-bearing breeding ground. Here they are practically free from molestation by prowling animals, but notwithstanding this they are decidedly quarrelsome among themselves. They frequently steal one another's eggs, and often engage in fights proving fatal to one or more of the plucky combatants. Their home island in the briny lake is a considerable distance from the principal sources of food supply. In consequence, it is estimated, they are obliged to travel from thirty to fifty miles daily to satisfy their wants. Regularly every spring they flock to fields, miles away, and there follow the plowman to secure uncovered worms and insect larvae. Often they visit the dump piles west of Salt Lake City to scan for stray bits of food, and frequently they follow our valley streams and fresh lakes looking for dead fish that perchance have been washed ashore or left by fishermen. Gulls seem to be especially fond of field mice, and exhibit great patience in catching them. In the summer of 1907-08 these troublesome little fellows were ravaging the alfalfa crops in Nevada when thousands of the "white wings" flocked to the devastated fields and literally cleaned them of the pestilent rodents. Of the rescuing aid the gulls rendered the early settlers of Utah, we are, or should be, well acquainted. In commemoration of this needful service, an appropriate monument has been erected to these beautiful birds. In reference to this, the only bird monument of our country, and the bit of history behind it, the United States Department of Agriculture, in a recent report, says:

"That at least one community has not been unmindful of the substantial debt it owes the gull is attested in Salt Lake City, where stands a monument -urmounted by a bronze figure of two gulls, erected by the people of that city 'in grate. _i remembrance' of the signal service rendered by these birds at a critical time in the history of the community. For three consecutive years — 1848, 1849 and 1850 black crickets by millions threatened to ruin the crops upon which depended the very lives of the settlers. Large flocks of

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gulls came to the rescue and devoured vast numbers of the destructive insects, until the fields were entirely freed from them. It is no wonder that the sentiment of the people of Utah as reflected through their laws affords gulls

Mahonri M. Young. THE COMING OF THE GULLS South Panel of the Gull Monument, Salt Lake City

the fullest protection. It would be well if such sentiment prevailed elsewhere throughout the United States. However, within the last few years much progress has been made in protecting thes? most beautiful dwellers of the seaside."

So long as food is plentiful and climate agreeable, the gulls

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remain with us, but when conditions change they take wing across the western desert to the Pacific Ocean, and there, in California's balmy winter, await the return of spring to come back to our inland sea. And the spirit of welcome that greets them is sensed in the following suggestive verses from the pen of Prof. Howard R. Driggs: — Voice from our Sunset Sea joyous and clear! — Herald of spring Western spring! Fling thy wild cry, till the echoes reply, And the sage plains rouse fresh at thy ring. Joy 'tis to hear thee — child of our brine A fleck of its salt foam, flung forth at year's morn; — Joy 'tis to see thee afloat 'gainst the blue, On thy slow sweeping pinions upborne. There's cheer in thy note as it leaps from thy throat; Thy strong tones give health to the heart, Thy lusty "Was hael," like the red warrior's yell, Strikes through the calm air like a dart.

At that call all the brooklets burst forth from the snow, The hillsides flash green, the meadow-larks trill, The sego-cup sways in the sage; But the black cricket glooms and lies still. Not alone for glad spring that fans from thy wing; Nor yet for thy pure snowy form, But more for the memory of thy good deeds, Do we praise thee, dear bird of year's morn. Thy name links with days of the bronzed pioneer, When he first turned these stones into bread, The odds all against him — harsh soil, savage foes His children scant clad and worse fed. But the stubborn soil, yielding at last to his stroke, Gave promise of plenty in hand, When blasting like flame, the cricket horde came, Gnawing green-fields down to the sand. Stout hands smote and smote; in vain was man's might, The black plague like famine gnawed on, Till God heard the prayer that rose from sore hearts, And he scattered the night with his dawn. From the crest of the wave, to strike and to save, Came thy swift host of sea gulls bright-mailed, With clarion cry, to sweep down the sky And fall on the foe like fierce hail. The dove then was eagle, smiting sure in his wrath, The black scourge was scourged from the plain; God's might answered faith, as when manna was sent, And the stricken land smiled once again. — Voice from our Inland Sea joyous and clear! — Herald of spring Western spring! Scream out thy glee; our hearts shout with thee; All the sage plains refresh at thy ring,

Destiny of the American Nation Declared by Prophecy*

By James E. Talmage, of the Council of the Twelve

The commanding position of the United States among the world powers, and the prominent place the American nation is to maintain as the exponent and champion of human rights, were foreseen and predicted centuries before the beginning of the Christian era. Such is the Book of Mormon record. The prophet Nephi was one of the original company who, under the leadership of his father Lehi, left Jerusalem in the year 600 B. C, and journeyed to the Arabian shore, thence voyaging to the American continent in a vessel they had constructed, as, centuries earlier, Noah had built an ark under Divine guidance. A few decades after the arrival of the colony on "the promised land," the people were divided through contention; and opposing factions developed known as Nephites and Lamanites. The Nephite nation was destroyed about 400 A. D., and the Lamanites exist today as the American Indians. In the early stages of the exodus, while the travelers were journeying seaward through the deserts of Arabia, the Lord revealed unto Nephi that a part of the posterity of his brethren would be smitten by the righteous wrath of God; and it was specifically shown that the nation into which the little company was to develop would be isolated beyond the seas from all other peoples. Thus runs the account of the revelation to Nephi the prophet, the events being chronicled in the past tense as though already accomplished:

"And it came to pass that I looked and beheld many waters; and they divided the Gentiles from the seed of my brethren. And it came to pass that the angel said unto me, Behold the wrath of God is upon the seed of thy brethren. And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I

*Our readers will be interested in knowing that under existing arrangements brief articles dealing with historical and doctrinal topics relating to the Church are published at weekly intervals in some of the leading newspapers of the country. These articles are written by Dr. James E. Talmage, and each contribution is complete in itself as a concise and simple treatment of the respective topics. While intended primarily for non-members of the Church, the short contributions are of decided value to our own people, and some of them will appear from time to time in the columns of the Improvement Era. —Editors.