Class II. GANNET. 617 



I have in the month of Auguft obferved in Cathnefs 

 their northern migrations : I have feen them pafling 

 the whole day in flocks, from five to fifteen in each : 

 in calm weather they fly high •, in ftorms they fly 

 low and near the more; but never crofs over the 

 land, even when a bay with promontories inter- 

 venes, but follow, at an equal diftance, the courfe 

 of the bay, and regularly double every cape. I 

 have feen many of the parties make a fort of halt 

 for the fake of fifhing : they foared to a van; height, 

 then darting headlong into the fea, made the wa- 

 ter foam and fpring up with the violence of their 

 defcent; after which they purfued their route. I 

 enquired whether they ever were obferved to re- 

 turn fouthward in the fpring, but was anfwered in 

 the negative; fo it appears that they annually en- 

 circle the whole ifland. 



They are well known on mod of our coafts Name. 

 but not by the name of the Soland-Goofe. In Corn- 

 wal and in Ireland they are called Cannets ; by 

 the Weljh Gan, The excellent Mr. Ray fuppofed 

 the Cornijh Gannet to be a fpecies of large Gull ; 

 a very excufeable miftake, for during his fix months 

 refidence in Cornwall he never had an opportunity 

 of feeing that bird, except flying ; and in the air 

 it has the appearance of a gull. On that fuppofition 

 he gave our Skua, p. 417. the title of Qatar acta, 

 a name borrowed from Arijlotk*, and which ad- 

 mirably expreffes the rapid defcent of this bird on 



* Page 1045. 



S f 4 its 



