478 THE GANNET 



spots upon this young Gannet were less numerous, and 

 were becoming distinctly smaller, being presumably worn 

 by abrasion. At five months its entire plumage had grown 

 darker (photograph No. 4). At six months there was not 

 any further change worth registering ; nor at seven months. 

 At eight months all its feathers were darker, and the moult 

 had set in, shed feathers being pretty numerous in its 

 enclosure. At nine months its new tail-feathers were 

 growing — very large and very stiff when compared with the 

 limp rectrices which they replaced. At the same time new 

 feathers were discoverable upon the back, and these were 

 black, with small white spots on the tips of a few only. 

 Some white colour was apparent at the back of the neck 

 also. At ten months the white on the neck had spread, 

 and was beginning to cover the throat and breast (photo- 

 graph No. 5), and at eleven months the whole of the 

 under-parts were white. 



Plumage of the Second Year. — The young Gannet was 

 now twelve months old, its forehead retaining many dark 

 speckles, but there were no longer many spots of white to 

 be seen on the back (photograph No. 6).* Its general 



* The age of one year has not been inaptly termed the piebald stage of 

 a Gannet's life ; such a bird would be called at St. Kilda a Faihach accord- 

 ing to Mackenzie ("Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist.," 1905, p. I4ry), but Mr. Harvie- 

 Brown says that this name, meaning a fatling, is applied to the young 

 Shearwater and Fulmar Petrel as well at the jjresent day. 



