392 THE GANNET 



for another. One belonging to Mr. E. T. Booth swallowed a Guillemot, 

 but soon threw it up, but it shows what they are capable of taking. These 

 birds, being in confinement, had not the exercise of flying, which it is 

 to be presumed would have further increased their requirements, nor did 

 they often walk unless it was to meet the bearer of their daily rations. 

 They would dive off a rock on the edge of the pond, but were never seen 

 to dive when swimming, and if a fish sank to the bottom it was not 

 recovered. In Booth's " Rough Notes " there is a long account of 

 some Gannets kept on an artificial (cemented) salt-water pond at Brighton, 

 where they laid several eggs, and even had two young ones, one of which 

 was reared I was told, when I went to see them, that these Gannets 

 were sometimes clever enough to catch Sparrows, and on one occasion 

 made short work of a pinioned Water-Rail. Pilchards they would not 

 eat, perhaps because being Bass Gannets, which get most of their living 

 in the North Sea, they were imaccustomed to them. Unfortunately my 

 Gannets never nested, although a couple were twice shut off for that 

 purpose, and supplied with seaweed, but they may not have been a pair. 

 According to my experience no amount of frost or cold seems to hurt an old 

 Gannet, although a young one may feel it. My taine birds would wake vip 

 quite happy after a night of 22 degrees of frost spent in the open (for they 

 never would use the shed put up for them), and only display an extra sharp 

 appetite, not being one whit the worse for the cold ; but great heat they 

 cannot stand. On a sultry day I have seen the poor birds sitting for 

 hours with their beaks open> evidently much distressed by the heat, 

 and breathing with considerable difficulty, which would be increased 

 by their want of nostrils. Gannets are very fond of preening themselves, 

 esiJecially during, or just after, rain or melting snow, when their 

 feathers are wet, or at any rate damp, for water rolls off them without 

 penetrating. I find in my journal : " March 2nd, 1906. NNW. 1. Snow 

 in the morning. After it had melted the Gannets in the enclosure did 

 an elaborate preening of plumage in the water, and the Scops Owls hooted 

 for some time." But it is not in preening only that they get enjoyment. 

 They like also to try their pinions. I have often remarked what relaxa. 

 tion Gannets appear to find in stretching out and flapping their long 

 wings, which no doubt get stiff for want of using. This, however, young 

 Gannets will do in a wild state on the Bass Rock. There was one very 

 odd performance in which they indulged on the pond, which consisted 

 in rolling half-over in the water, with one foot beneath the surface, and 



