242 



THE GANNET 



under their downy young ones, for there were still plenty 

 in that stage, although others were full fledged. Mr. Pike's 

 snap-shot exhibits a Gannet in the act of presenting his 

 mate with sea-weed, in this case stolen from another nest, 

 not at all an uncommon theft. 



[0. G. Pike, Phnt. 

 GANNET CARRYING SEA-WEED. 



Number of Oannets on the Bass. — There have been many 

 attempts to guess at the number of Gannets on the Bass 

 Rock, but there, as at Ailsa, we must bear in mind how 

 often the incorrectness of such guesses at large numbers of 

 living objects has been proved. It is so, partly because 

 guesses mainly go upon what the eye takes in, and 



