276 THE GANNET 



killed in the way above mentioned, by rowing backwards 

 and forwards, for the birds must at last come up to take 

 breath. Hafsula gives a great mass of feathers, and the 

 flesh is eaten, for it is bravely fat and rich, but on that 

 account oily (as they say). Its chief resorts in Iceland for 

 bringing out its young are the Fugleskiaer, six miles to the 

 south of Reykenses, and Suluklettesr, a rock among the 

 Westman Islands." In §832, as pointed out by Mr. 

 Magmisson, the account is slightly different : — " The Hafsula 

 builds nowhere in the country except here [in Westmann 

 Islands], on a separate rock called Sulu-skser. The young 

 Hafsulur are caught and eaten by the inhabitants, but their 

 flesh is oily and therefore not so palatable to foreigners ; 

 yet when the skin has been removed that taste disappears 

 for the most part, as is also the case with other oily 

 sea-birds." 



The above, though written one hundred and forty years 

 ago, conveys a faithful description of the habits of the 

 "Hafsula" or Gannet. This word, literally meaning the 

 Solan of the Sea, has been the Icelander's name for it from 

 early times, but at the present day Mr. Slater says it is 

 more often called simply Sula.* In Norwegian and Danish 

 the spelling is " Havsula." 



* See "Manual of the Birds of Iceland," 1901, p. 37, and "Ornis," 

 1887, pp. 594, 609. 



