3*^ Gannets 



water, but their innings really begin when the fleet of nets is being 

 drawn ; they then become exceedingly bold, and often seize a fish 

 from the net as it is being hauled over the side of the boat, or pick 

 up the chance fish that are tossed overboard as the " take " is being 

 shaken out of the nets into the boat. 



Preying on the Gulls are numbers of Skuas, a parasitical Gull, 

 which is too lazy or too inefficient to do his own catering, and spends 

 his time in pursuing any successful Gull within his reach. The 

 pursued, protesting loudly, endeavours to escape, until, recognising 

 the hopelessness of his case, he disgorges his fish, and is immediately 

 released by the Skua, who adroitly catches the fish before it has 

 fallen many feet in the air, while the disappointed Gull returns to 

 his fishing. 



Skuas, I believe, never catch a fish for themselves ; at least, 

 never when there is any other species handy that can labour for them. 

 On the other hand, they are very courageous, and will often attack 

 Gulls of much larger size than themselves. With the exception of 

 the " Great Black-backed " Gull, I think they will successfully rob 

 any of the common species up to the size of the Herring Gull, though, 

 no doubt, they prefer the smaller Gulls and Terns, which gi\'e them 

 less trouble. 



I have rather wandered away from the subject of Gannets, 

 but speaking of the presence of these birds around the fishing-fleet 

 in the North Sea, brought to my mind what a wonderful picture of 

 bird life one may see there in calm weather, if the fish are plentiful. 



There is a curious method of capturing Gannets which is of very 

 old standing, and is, I believe, very successful, though I have never 

 seen it employed myself. A herring, mackerel or other suitable 

 fish, is tied on to a small board eight or ten inches square, and the 

 board is then thrown into the sea. Presently, a Gannet, soaring high 

 above, detects the fish. He dives at it with his usual headlong speed, 

 strikes the board with terrific force, and almost always breaks his 

 neck then and there with the impact. 



I mention this plan, because it conveys an idea of the extra- 

 ordinary speed the Gannet attains in his downward plunge, better 

 than any description of mine could do. 



Cormorants. 



Of the Cormorants, we have two species resident on our shores, 

 the Shag, and the Common or Greater Cormorant. 



The Shag or Green Cormorant [Phalacrocorax graculus) goes by 

 a number of names in different parts of our Islands, among which 

 may be instanced Scart, Scarf, and Crested Cormorant, and is often 

 enough confused by the natives with its larger relative, and simply 

 called the Cormorant. 



It is essentialh' a marine bird, and never, as far as my experience 



