The Seagulls Move To Bluey Cove

: Daddy's Bedtime Bird Stories

"Mr. and Mrs. Seagull didn't really know what to do," said daddy. "They

loved their home, which was in a big harbor, for they enjoyed seeing the

boats pass and hearing the different whistles. All kinds of boats

passed--ferryboats, sailboats, old fishing-boats, great big boats that

went across the ocean, and little tugboats.



"The seagulls would fly overhead, and then they'd land on top of the

water, but th y never could stay there long, as the boats would come

along, and they would have to fly off. Of late Mr. and Mrs. Seagull,

although they were still as fond of their home as ever, became rather

worried, for the little seagulls didn't seem to be able to get out of

the way of the boats as quickly as the old seagulls could. Mr. and Mrs.

Seagull were afraid that one of them might get hurt by a boat.



"Of course the little seagulls were quite certain that nothing like that

would ever happen, but one day it did.



"They were playing tag on the surface of the water and so interested in

their game that they didn't notice until too late that a great huge boat

was coming along. The captain of the boat had blown the whistle to scare

the seagulls away. They hadn't heard it at all, so busy were they

playing, and it hit poor little Bluey Seagull. One of the others called

out:



"'Oh, fly up quickly, Bluey!' He was not badly hit, for the pilot of the

boat had seen the seagulls and made the boat slow down.



"Bluey was frightened almost out of his wits, but with the encouragement

of the other seagulls he managed to fly off.



"When Mr. and Mrs. Seagull saw what had happened to Bluey they were

horrified and quickly flew off with him, all the other little seagulls

following.



"They flew as far from the boats as they could, for, now that Bluey had

been hit, they didn't think life in the harbor where the boats passed

was so attractive. In fact, they decided they would never go back there

again.



"They flew so far that they reached a little cove at the basin of the

harbor, and when Mr. Seagull saw it he said:



"'This will be our new home.'



"Mrs. Seagull said:



"'We will never leave this home until all little seagulls are grown up,

for then they will always be safe and can play all they want to without

being afraid of getting hit by the big boats.'



"So it was decided, and the cove was named Bluey Cove because it had

been on Bluey's account that they had moved there. And of all the

seagulls he was the happiest and most relieved."