374 THE GANNET 



Bass soon work their way out to sea. Sometimes, however, 

 it happens that a few are caught by a suddenly rising 

 breeze, and " when," says Mr. Booth, " a gale from the 

 north-east comes on shortly after a number of young 

 have left the [Bass] Rock, they are all blown ashore, 

 being unable to make headway against the force of the 

 wind and sea." Such mischances however, are not 

 common, and do not necessarily entail death, if the sea 

 moderates. 



Having reached the sea, we shall be safe in assuming that 

 the young Gannet will be nearly four months old before it 

 voluntarily essays a second flight. Even this is much less 

 than is the case with the young Albatross.* Then a new 

 phase of its life begins, it rises from the water with a newly- 

 found power, henceforth to find its own livelihood by those 

 beautiful plunges which are the admiration of all who see 

 them. 



The juvenescence of the Gannet lasts a very long 

 time compared to that of most birds, he whole period 

 from the laying of the egg to the flight of the young 

 bird from the cliffs, generally occupying about nineteen 

 weeks, and from the hatching of the egg it is ten 



* It is stated to be ten months before a young Albatross knows how to 

 fly at all (Eajrle Clarke, " Ibis,' 1905, p. 264). 



