148 NATURAL HISTORY [Birds. 



to six eggs of a white colour ; fly a great way for fish, especi- 

 ally while they are scarcest, that is, while the young fish are 

 so small as to be unobserved by them. 



Our Hoy men and other rock-men tell us they sit in very 

 large flocks on the rocks, and one keeps watch while the rest 

 are asleep ; if they can catch the watcher they are sure of the 

 whole, but if he gives warning they all throw themselves over 

 the rock into the sea. The rock-men go in the night-time to the 

 places where they frequent, and catch many of them as above- 



Species 3. — The Gannet. 



Soland Goose, Wil. On*. 328. Raii Syn. Av. 122. Sib. Scot. Q.O. tab. 9. 

 Mart. Desc. West. Isles, 281. Pelecanus Bassanus, Lin. Si/s. 217. Brit. 

 Zool. 479. Pen. Tour. 165, tab. 8. Ore. Solan. 



The Solan Goose breeds in none of the Orkney Isles, as far 

 as I can learn, but is very frequent in our bays, where great 

 numbers of them may be seen fishing, after their manner, to- 

 gether. I have observed they dart briskest in windy wea- 

 ther; perhaps the motion of the water disturbing the fish, makes 

 them appear better to this quick-eyed observer ; however this 

 is, the bird flies slowly along till it sees a fish, when it immedi- 

 ately throws itself on its back, and darts at the fish. Whe- 

 ther this last particular of its throwing itself on its back has 

 been before observed I know not, but have myself observed 

 it many and oft times. The nearest land to Orkney where 



