LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAI^ PETRELS AND PELICANS. 223 



Plumages. — The naked young gannet, even when first hatched, 

 shows some signs of sprouting down, and when about 10 days old it 

 is completely covered with long white down, except on the face, 

 which remains naked and black. When about 3 weeks old the tail 

 and wing quills begin to sprout, followed by the black juvenal 

 plumage of the scapulars and back, and the full first plumage is 

 assumed at an age of 9 or 10 weeks. This is the plumage in which 

 we see the young birds in the fall, nearly black above, sprinkled 

 with small triangular spots of white, one on each feather, and much 

 lighter below, where the feathers are largely white. During the 

 first winter and spring a gradual change takes place, by fading, 

 wear, molt, and growth of new feathers. Mr. Gurney (1913) has 

 described this very well from observations made on a captive bird. 

 He writes: 



At what I considered to be four months old the white spots upon this young 

 gannet were less numerous and were becoming distinctly smaller, being pre- 

 sumably worn by abrasion. At fiA'e months its entire plumage had grown 

 darker. At six months there was not any further change worth registering; 

 nor at seven months. At eight months all its feathers were darker, and the 

 molt had set in, shed feathers being pretty numerous in its enclosure. At 

 nine months its new tail-feathers were growing — very large and very stiff 

 when compared with the limp rectrices which they replaced. At the same 

 time new feathers were discoverable upon the back, and these were black 

 with small white spots on the tips of a few only. Some white color was 

 apparent at the back of the neck also. At ten months the white on the neck 

 had spread and was beginning to cover the throat and breast, and at eleven 

 months the whole' of the underparts were white. 



Describing the plumage of the second year, he goes on to say that 

 when 12 months old its forehead retained — 



Many dark speckles, but there were no longer many spots of white to be seen 

 on the back. By the time it had reached 16 months there was not a spot of 

 white on my young gannet's back, which was nearly black, but two-thirds of its 

 head and neck were now quite white. Although the molt seemed to be finished, 

 it was evident that there was still some change of color going on, either by 

 fading or abrasion. The only part of its body which remained in the .spotted 

 plumage now was the lower part of the belly. At 17 months the head and 

 neck were nearly white. At 21 months the lesser upper wing coverts and a 

 part of the scapulars were white also, and three white spots of some size were 

 visible on the back. At 22 months a shade of yellow came out on the head and 

 neck. At 23 the white spots or blotches on the back were the size of a florin, 

 and several new ones had appeared upon the wing coverts. At 24 the blotches 

 were still larger, and at 25 months the bird, which had been in excellent health 

 until the last fortnight of its life, unfortunately began to droop and died — ■ 

 August 7th, 1908 — and my observations came to an abrupt end. 



When a gannet is about 26 months old it exhibits a yellow occiput and a 

 partly black buck, forming a handsome conjunction of colors. When 28 months 

 it should have, if the normal molt has been adhered to, nearly acquired its 

 complete white plumage, but there still remain a few small patches of black on 

 the lower part of the back and upon the wings. The black tail is the last por- 



