GANNETS ON THE COAST OF CANADA 307 



sun. These fish are often as much as a foot in length and 

 generally partially digested. I could not make out whether 

 this habit is caused by fright or by a desire to get rid of 

 unnecessary weight ; probably the latter, as they are very 

 docile and unsuspicious birds or very stupid and not easily 

 frightened away. We had no difficulty in photographing 

 them at short range, as they sat in their nests, craning their 

 necks and staring at us stupidly, but if we came too near, 

 the disgorging process would begin, they would move 

 awkwardly away and gradually flop off over the edge of the 

 cliff, uttering all the time a variety of loud guttural croaks 

 and grunts, ' Kurrack,' ' Kurruck,' until they could spread 

 their broad, black-tipped wings and sail gracefully out into 

 space ; . . ." 



The day following Mr. Bent rowed to North, or Little, 

 Bird Rock, now consisting of two perpendicular stacks and 

 a pinnacle, and found that the flat top of one of the former 

 was covered with nesting Gannets. With this addition, 

 therefore, the total Gannet population of the Bird Rocks 

 may perhaps be as high as 3,000. 



Bonaventure. — Audubon does not seem to have gone to 

 Bonaventure, nor did Bryant visit it. The Gannets on 

 that island were visited first by Mr. W. Brewster in 1881, 

 although his party did not actually land, after- 

 wards by Captain Collins in 1887, by the Rev. C. J. 



