160 THE GANNET 



birds amongst the white ones ; and, on the wing, immature 

 birds of the first, second, and third year were clearly 

 distinguished, and almost constantly in sight."* This was 

 at the beginning of July, 1887, and a similar preponderance 

 of young ones was remarked by Professor Newton, and 

 Mr. H. Evans, when they were at the Stack but did not 

 land on June 28th, 1890. At sucli a date young Gannets 

 of the year would hardly be expected to be half-grown, 

 3^et it may have been a very early season, but any strong 

 enough to be on the wing were probably birds of the pre- 

 ceding year. 



Number of Gannets on the Stack. — With regard to the 

 Gannet population on the Stack I may first quote a letter 

 from Mr. N. A. Mcintosh, a former principal of the lighthouse 

 on Sule-Skerry, who says in reply to some queries : " I have 

 been asking the captain of the tender which attends our light- 

 house as to the probable number [of Gannets], as he had the 

 opportunity of viewing them often on the wing, having 

 frequently passed quite close and fired rockets to rouse them. 

 He tells me the estimate could safely be put down at from 

 8,000 to 10,000." This may be a more or less accurate guess, 

 but as has been shown before, guesses are more apt to be 

 over the mark than below it. Mr. Mcintosh also says : "For 



* " A Fauna of the Orkney Islands," by Harvie-Brovvn and Buckley, 

 p. 160. 



