Chapter 66

In early April of 1989, Connie McDavid, high school sophomore, was at the beach near Brownsville, Texas, doing her favorite thing ... Bird Watching ... specifically ... Sea Gulls.

She was a moderately pretty girl ... not tall ... not short ... she had regular features and flyaway curly red hair that surrounded her head like a foamy halo and deep sea green eyes. When in the captivity of her mother or father but less so accompanied by her brother, she displayed the pleasing manners and gentle bearing of a upper middle class upbringing.

Today, however, she was cleverly disguised as a hoyden disguised as a post ... a post with fish. Her movements were slow and careful ... sometimes taking as much as a minute a step. She was stalking a particular bird.

If you should be so incautious as to ask her what she was doing ... well ... this is what she might tell you.

"Gulls or seagulls are seabirds of the family Laridae in the sub-order Lari. They are most closely related to the terns (family Sternidae) and only distantly related to auks, skimmers, and more distantly to the waders. They are of the genus Larus, An older name for gulls is mew, cognate with German "Möwe", Dutch "meeuw" and French "mouette"; this term can still be found in certain regional dialects.

"Gulls are typically medium to large birds, usually grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They typically have harsh wailing or squawking calls, stout, longish bills, and webbed feet. Most gulls, particularly Larus, are ground-nesting carnivores, which will take live food or scavenge opportunistically. Live food often includes crabs and small fish."

By now, most boys her age are yawning ... and inching away. If one was persistent she would continue.

"Gulls have unhinging jaws which allow them to consume large prey. Apart from the kittiwakes, gulls are typically coastal or inland species, rarely venturing far out to sea. The large species take up to four years to attain full adult plumage, but two years is typical for small gulls. Large White-Headed Gulls are typically long-lived birds, with a maximum age of 49 years recorded for the Herring Gull.

"Gulls nest in large, densely packed noisy colonies. They lay two to three speckled eggs in nests composed of vegetation. The young are precocial, being born with dark mottled down, and mobile upon hatching."

Still there? Either you are inordinately attracted to her, sleeping on your feet or you too, are a birder. She continues, just to make sure...

"Gulls—the larger species in particular—are resourceful, inquisitive and intelligent birds, demonstrating complex methods of communication and a highly developed social structure. For example, many gull colonies display mobbing behavior, attacking and harassing would-be predators and other intruders.

"Certain species (e.g. the Herring Gull) have exhibited tool use behavior, using pieces of bread as bait with which to catch goldfish, for example. Many species of gull have learned to coexist successfully with humans and have thrived in human habitats. Others rely on kleptoparasitism to get their food. Gulls have been observed preying on live whales, landing on the whale as it surfaces to peck out pieces of flesh."

If you were still standing there listening to her, she might ask, "Why? Are you interested in Gulls?"

Confessing that, "No ... I find you fascinating," might only increase her dialog. But, if you should ask her, "Why, they're only gulls ... there's millions of them." Then she might start edging away from you.

"They're not an endangered species ... just flying rats" ... would have her surreptitiously signaling her Dad or her brother ... or one or another of her geeky friends to come rescue her from unwanted attentions.

"I like watching them," would have her shyly smiling. But not today. Today was serious ... she was trying to find out what was caught in that particular gulls beak. What ever it was the gull was slowly starving because it couldn't close it's beak on a captured fish. Constance McDavid was on a rescue mission. A fish in one hand and a small weighted net in the other she crept closer.

The Pretty Penny, warship of the Federation of Nevis and St. Kitts, was leaving Galveston harbor to an assembled throng of well-wishers and Naval and Coast Guardsmen. The fireboat was in full fountain display as the Pretty Penny began her salute to the United States of America.

Chief Sanchez, strode between two Winchester Model 98 ten gauge breech loading signal cannon, swing his stick in time to the chant, "If I wasn't a gunner, I wouldn't be here, Gun Number one ... Fire, Leaving my wife and family, so dear, Gun Number two ... Fire," all the way through "Gun 21 Fire."

It was a source of great pleasure to the Nevis and St. Kitts Ambassador to hear the three inch signal cannon on the breakwater return the salute ... and a source of pleasure to Andrea that they immediately fired a 17 gun salute to her flag.

She was busy loading and firing the number one gun in recognition of her salute. The grin in her face was perfect, even though she was surrounded by the grayish smoke of black powder blanks. This time she wore ear plugs to cut down on the length of time it would take for her to speak in a normal tone of voice...

The last round fired, the Coast Guard Cutter dipped the flag on its fantail Jack-stand ... the Pretty Penny dipped hers in return. The American flag fluttered down from the mainmast and the HUGE Texas flag was lowered and folded in turn. Chief Sanchez grinned.