366 GANNET. 



In the Faroes this species breeds on Myggenaes, the most western 

 island of the group ; while in Iceland it has several colonies. 

 Thousands nest on the Magdalen Islands, as well as on some other 

 rocks in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and Kumlien says that he saw 

 the bird up to 65° N. In winter the Gannet ranges over the Atlantic, 

 down to North Africa, the Canaries and Madeira on this side, and 

 the Gulf of Mexico on the other ; but it seldom enters the Baltic 

 or goes far up the Mediterranean, though after stormy weather it 

 has occasionally been taken at a considerable distance inland. 



The nest is a mass of sea-weed and grass, on which is deposited a 

 single egg ; this (like that of the Cormorant) has a pale blue under- 

 shell overlaid with a chalky-white coating, but soon becomes soiled : 

 measurements 3'25 by i"9 in. When unmolested, Gannets are very 

 tame during incubation, and will allow themselves to be stroked by 

 the hand without any sign of impatience except a low guttural grog, 

 grog; but at times they are very vociferous, and as they are con- 

 tinually interfering with each other, or taking advantage of the 

 absence of their neighbours to pilfer the materials of their nests, a 

 constant noise is kept up, which may be syllabled as carra, crac, 

 era. The immense numbers which throng Stack-an-Armin and 

 Stack Lii, off Boreray, form a sight never to be forgotten. The 

 food consists of surface-swimming fish, such as herrings, pilchards, 

 sprats and anchovies, upon which the Gannet plunges perpendicu- 

 larly with closed wings from a considerable height ; the birds fish in 

 company, and many become entangled at times in the meshes of 

 the fishermen's long sea-nets. In some districts of Scotland the young, 

 collected in August, are plucked, cleaned, half-roasted, and sold for 

 food, the fat is boiled down, and the feathers are used for stuffing beds. 



The adult has the crown and nape buff-colour ; the rest of the 

 plumage white, except the primaries, which are black. In the bird 

 of the first year, the under plumage is mottled with dusky-ash and 

 buff, while the upper parts are blackish-brown flecked with white ; 

 in each successive year the dark markings diminish until the sixth, 

 when the adult dress is attained. Length 34 in. ; wing 19 in. The 

 nestling is at first naked and black, but is afterwards covered with 

 down, which is most persistent on the head and hind neck, giving the 

 bird the appearance of wearing a long wig. 



A Tropic-bird, Phaethon aefherci/s, is said to have been found 

 dead in Herefordshire more than forty years ago (J. H. Gurney, Tr. 

 Norfolk Soc. v. p. 659). 



