HABITS OF THE GANNET 379 



ones used to suffer in summer — especially if the day was 

 very sultry — -and how they would sometimes sit with their 

 beaks open, as if that gave them relief in breathing. It 

 is not the old Gannets only which gape ; young Gannets 

 from one-third to two-thirds grown, are to be seen con- 

 tinually gaping in warm weather, as if they also were greatly 

 oppressed by it. But there is another possible explanation 

 of their habit of gaping : it will not be considered to 

 be too far-fetched to suppose that it may be done some- 

 times by old birds with a view of displaying the colour 

 of the palate to the opposite sex.* 



The Sounds uttered hy Gannets. -f — Some have thought that 

 the cries of birds are the effect of environment, others deem 



* Display is a prominent characteristic of many birds, and for ought we 

 know the Gannet's black mouth may be a sexually attractive colour. 

 See observations by Mr. E. Selous, who remarks on the opening of the 

 bill by Cormorants, whereby the yellow of the mouth is exhibited 

 ("Zoologist," 1907, p. 238; 1908, p. 191. "Bird Watching," p. 169.) 

 But, as Mr. Harvie-Brown remarks (in litt.), other birds besides Gannets 

 and Cormorants gape ; Pehcans do("Zool.," 1906, p. 358), as also Reptiles 

 and Batrachiana (" Zool.," 1910, p. 384), human beings and dogs. 



t The Gannet's loud notes have not escaped the attention of the poets, 

 one of the earliest of whom, John Skelton, in " Phyllyp Sparowe " (1508) 

 versifies — 



" . . . the gagling gaunte 



And the churlisli chouge." 



In Pennant's time " Gaunt " was a Lincolnshire name for the Grebe 

 (" British Zoology," II., p. 498), but here Skelton probably means the 

 Gannet as two lines before he mentions " the Connoraunce " : on the other 

 hand, the duaa gantaa of a tenure in Edward I.'s reign referred to on p. 24 

 were probably domestic geese, Ganta being elsewhere used for geese. 



