lOO 



THE OOLOGIST. 



ing- one to approacli within a few feet of 

 thein, but wlien fairly startled, thej^ would 

 all scramble helter-skelter, to the edge of 

 the cliff, when the_y would launch out into 

 the air, with loud cries. The hideous din 

 made by this living cataract as it poured 

 down from above, startled those which 

 nested on the shelves of the cliffs beneath, 

 causing them to take wing, thus increasing 

 their numbers to such an extent, that wlieu 

 we reached the edge of tlie precipice, there 

 were, at least, ten thousand Gannets before 

 us, flying high over the surging waves. A 

 sight like this is rarely seen and strongly 

 reminded one of a snow storm, when the 

 countless flakes whirl in wild confusion. 

 At tirst, the birds hovered directly about 

 the island but quickl}^ assumed a systematic 

 method of flight, which I afterward ob- 

 served was constantly practiced by them. 

 They would approach the rock, coming so 

 near that we could almost feel the wind 

 caused by their huge wings, and curving 

 outward, would describe an immense circle 

 of half a mile or more in diameter ; as each 

 followed its neighbor in this singular 

 course, the whole soon formed a huge 

 wheel which whirled swiftly around for 

 some time, when the birds would disperse. 

 We found that the Gannets of Bird Rock 

 deposited one, or rarely two, eggs, pure 

 white at first, but these soon became 

 soiled, as the birds are far from being neat. 

 Wh'!n disturbed, every bird would disgorge 

 some fish before flying away, and thus the 

 ground was strewed with the half digested 

 contents of their stomachs, which, when 

 the hot sun shown on it, soon gave out an 

 intolerable stench. The Gannets were 

 always repairing their nests and frequently 

 one would come flying in with a mass of 

 dripping sea weed which it had taken 

 from the water, and pitching heavily upon 

 the shelf, would arrange it on its nest. 

 But no sooner had tlie bird placed it in a 

 satisfactory manner, when perhaps it would 

 be seized by some neighbor that had been 

 watching the operation and now en- 

 deavored to appropriate the material for its 

 own use. The theft although boldly i)erpe- 

 trated, was not always successfully acrom- 



plished, for the victim of this outrage 

 would stoutly contest the prize by striking 

 out fiercely with its powerful bill, often 

 causing the plunderer to relinguish its 

 booty. A violent struggle would then 

 ensue, during which many blows would be 

 rapidly exchanged, while each vociferously 

 proclaimed its rights. The noise of the 

 strife frequently attracted the attention of 

 the birds which were in the immediate 

 vicinity, and sometimes a third, or even a 

 fourth, evidently mates of the contesting 

 parties, would join in the fray, until two, 

 locking bills, would pull and tug for a 

 time, then, losing their footing, roll over 

 and over, for the shelf was an inclined 

 plane, until reaching the edge of the cliff, 

 they would go down .still clinging to each 

 other. When falling, they seldom endeav- 

 ored to spread their wings, but striking 

 violently upon some projecting rock, would 

 bound off and drop half stunned into the 

 water far beneath. The Murres were breed- 

 ing in close proximity to this place and if 

 one chanced to approach too near the irri- 

 table Gannets, it was seized by the neck 

 and unceremoniously dropped over the 

 precipice. 



I found that the Gannets which occupied 

 the rocky shelves, were quite bold and 

 when I endeavored to make my way along 

 the slippery ledges, supported by a rope, 

 they would attempt to dispute my passage, 

 striking out fiercely at me with their strong 

 bills. The young Gannets, of which there 

 were several on the shelves, are naked 

 when hatched and very helpless, being 

 fed by regurgitation. Fishes are taken into 

 the stomach of the parent and reduced into 

 a perfectly transparent fluid which is 

 somewhat gelatinous, and which is ejected 

 in small quantities into the mouths of Ihe 

 offsprings ; then when a little older they 

 eat half digested fish. Mackerel appeared 

 to form the principal diet of the Gannets 

 while I remained in the Gulf of St. Law- 

 rence, and the birds capture these agile fish 

 by flying over the water to the height of 

 fifty feet or more, then diving when they 

 perceive one in the proper position to 

 secure, often becoming submerged for 



