Gannets 23 



nests, and on some of the ledges abov'e them Guillemots and Razor- 

 bills. 



These, ho\ve\-er, we disregarded, and crossing over the grassy 

 to)), came to the northern side of the island, where the Gannets' 

 colony lay. From the top, one could see nothing of the sitting birds, 

 but beyond the island, many Gannets could be seen over the sea. 

 Of these, some were adult birds in their white and cream-coloured 

 plumage, passing to and from the island in a continuous stream, 

 tlie returning birds loaded with the spoils of their fishing, and the 

 outgoing birds setting out for more. Others, however, evidently 

 belonged to the unemplo\ed, and these were all non-breeding birds 

 in \-arious stages of immaturity from two to five years.* They were 

 sporting and diving round the island during the whole time of our 

 visit, and though I do not imagine they were allowed to land on the 

 rock, tlie\' seemed on perfectly friendly terms with the old birds. 



Grasholm is, I think, remarkable for the presence and number 

 of these young birds. It is an almost universal rule that breeding 

 birds drive the immature birds of their own kind away from their 

 nesting places, and never allow them in the neighbourhood at all. 

 Here, however, quite 20 per cent, of the total number of Gannets 

 were non-breeding birds. f 



On reaching the edge of the cliffs and looking over, the Gannets' 

 colonv was brought into full view. At the time of my visit, there 

 were perhaps 200 to 250 pairs of birds breeding on the island, and the 

 nests were thickly placed wherever the rock formation formed suitable 

 table-lands for that purpose. The narrow ledges and crevices in 

 a rock face that serve well enough for the Guillemots and Razor- 

 bills are of no use to the Gannets ; they choose a rock of some 

 considerable extent, more or less flat, and affording space enough 

 for a number of nests to be built together, placed well above the sea 

 and out of reach of the Atlantic rollers, and often enough overhung 

 bv the cliffs above. The northern aspect of Grasholm presents 

 many of these flat table-like rocks jutting out, and on most of them 

 the Gannets' nests were thickl}^ dotted. Selecting a point where 

 the cliffs were not overhanging, and which afforded a fairly easy 

 descent, I left X — on the top to manage the rope for me, and having 

 taken off my shoes and stockings, I slipped over the edge, and 

 clambered down to the rocks below without much difficulty. 



Before going down, I spent some time watching the Gannets 

 on their nests, and a very interesting and amusing sight they were. 

 The nests were placed so close together, that the sitting birds were 

 in some cases actually touching each other, and the birds were 

 continually pushing and shouldering their ne.xt-door neighbours, 



* Opinions differ as to the period .^t which the adult plumage is assumed. The time which 

 elapses before the final stage is reached, has been variously stated by authors as 2, 3, 4, 4!, 5 

 and I) years. Vide "The Gannet," by J. H. Gurney (p. 4S4), who himself favours 2\ to 3 years. — 

 Editor. 



t Xon-breeding birds in immature plumage are fairly numerous on the Bass Rock, and 

 may be .seen in the immediate neighbourhood of the breeding- colonies. — Editor. 



