6l8 G A N N E T. Class II. 



its prey. Mr. Moyk firft detected this miftake* ; 

 and the Rev. Doctor William Borlafc, by prefenting 

 us with a flue fpecimen of this bird, confirms the 

 opinion of Mr. Moyk; at the lame time he favored 

 us with fo accurate an account of fome part of the 

 natural hirtory of this bird, that we mail ufe the li- 

 berty he indulged us with, of adding in to this de- 

 fcription. 



" The Gamut comes on the coafts of Cornwal 

 " in the latter end of fummer, or beginning of au- 

 " tumn; hovering over the fhoals of pilchards that 

 " come down to us through St. George's Channel 

 " from the northern feas. The Gannet feldom 

 " comes near the land, but is conflant to its prey, 

 'S a fure fign to the timer men that the pilchards are 

 " on the coafts j and when the pilchards retire, ge- 

 " nerally about the end of November^ the Gannets 

 66 are feen no more. The bird now fent was killed 

 " at Chandoui\ near Mount/bay, Sept. 30, 1762, af- 

 " ter a long ftruggle with a water fpaniel, alTifted 

 *' by the boatmen ; for it was ftrong and pugna- 

 " cious. The perfon who took it oblerved that it 

 " had a tranfparent membrane under the eye-lid, 

 " with which it covered at pleafure the whole eye, 

 " without obfeuring the fight or (hutting the eye- 

 " lid -, a gracious provifion for the fecurity of the 

 " eyes of fo weighty a creature, whofe method of 

 " taking its prey is by darting headlong on it 



* Movk*s Works, I, 424. 



* c from 



