April 10, 1920

An officer tells us we will sight land to-morrow at 5P.M. and we begin to look forward to leaving the ship. Sea Gulls are flying behind the ship and we know land is not far away. It is said that during the past war sea gulls were useful in betraying the presence of the dread submarines. Sea birds depend upon ships as providers of food and after a heavy sea battle thousands of gulls gather, undisturbed by the fighting, to feed upon the large number of small fishes, that killed by the concussion, are floating upon the water. Sea gulls are not frightened by the appearance of sea-planes and air-ships, but they are greatly disturbed by the presence of a submarine. Some say it is possible to tell by the behavior of the gulls, when a submarine is passing under the water. They no doubt think them sharks and they will wheel and scream over the spot and fly off suddenly, with every evidence of dismay and not return until the intruder has departed. A pilot of a steamer on arrival at an English port tells how five gulls were the means of saving the steamer from destruction. He noticed them resting upon a dark object which was bobbing up directly in front of the boat. Close examination showed that a sea gull was perched upon each of the five prongs of a floating mine and there was just time to change the vessel’s course and escape a calamity.

Mr. De Kaysor, head of the Chicago opera co., is on board, and we have had some fine music. We stood in line to-day to get our “permits” to land. There is a great deal of red tape these days, both to get on a vessel and to leave. Our “Permits” class us as Aliens going to England.