Donna Elliott, age 10, of Freeport, Maine, for her question:

Where do seagulls nest?

Those graceful gulls add a perfect touch to the beauteous coast of Maine. They come in surf white, soft silvery grey and dusky brown    and all of them love the sea¬shore. Naturally, since birds are such good parents, they bring up their children in places where gulls like to be. For safety's sake, they select rather lonely shores, either along the coast or on some rocky little island. And, since gulls are very fond of other gulls, many families share the same nesting place.

The world's largest herring gull nesting ground is along the coast of Maine. Each family has a small lot of its own. The big, dusky brown parents build a nest of grass and seaweeds. The lot also has a firm place to stand and a tuft of grass where the growing youngsters can hide. Gulls of the Pacific coast also nest along lonely shores and on nearby islands. And some fly hundreds of miles inland to nest around the Great Salt Lake of Utah.