FOOD AND FISHING 403 



action by, has the expression : " they descend asquint," i.e., 

 obhquely — not a bad description of what happens. 

 In reahty, it is the result of the Gannet's overshooting its 

 mark in its flight and then seeing the fish a httle behind 

 it, which necessitates a backward shot. 



At what age exactly the young Gannet begins to get his 

 living by plunging, I have not ascertained ; Mr. W. Evans 

 has seen low plunges as early as September 16th, 

 and on September 26th, 1908, Sir Digby Pigott and 

 I watched young birds on the coast of Norfolk, which 

 we judged not to be more than three months old, hard 

 at work. 



Feeding on a Shoal of Fry. — When Gannets meet with what 

 fishermen term a "ball" of fry, or "pan"* — i.e., a compact 

 shoal or crowd of very small fish — they naturally get excited, 

 and, I am told, may be seen swimming round and through 

 the " ball," greedily dipping their beaks among the little 

 fish. I have never had the luck to witness a scene of this 

 kind, but the late Mr. Dunn, of Megavissey, supplied a 

 vivid description of it to Mr. Frank Buckland for " Land 

 and Water." 



After mentioning the seething shoals of pilchards and 

 sprats which appear in October off the Cornish coast, 

 migrating eastwards, and the determined attacks which 



* See " Fauna of Shetland Islands " (Article on the Herring). 



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