BRITAIN'S BIRDS AND THEIR NESTS. 159 



ORDER, STEGANOPODES (CORMORANTS, &c.); 

 Family, PELECANID^ (Pelicans, Cormorants, &c.). 



THE GANNET, OR SOLAN-GOOSE 



(Sula bassana). 

 Plate 51. 



One of the largest, handsomest, and withal most peculiar 

 of our native Sea-fowl is that whose old and best name 

 is ' the Solan,' or ' Soland ' — ' Sula,"' in its Icelandic form — 

 which now figures as the scientific name of the genus, and 

 is also a part of several place - names. To the name 

 * Solan,' ' Goose ' has been most inappropriately added, 

 and ' Solan - Goose ' is now the commonest popular name 

 for the species. Such a title, however, is so obviously 

 faulty and misleading that ornithologists now give prefer- 

 ence to another name for the bird — namely, * Gannet ' — 

 which has less popular hold in this country. It is also 

 the general title of the genus, which includes the so-called 

 ' Boobies ' of the more southern seas ; but even it prob- 

 ably has a distant etymological connection with ' Goose.' 

 After all, has not the name ' Solan ' pure and simple the 

 prior and better claim ? 



In point of apparent size the Solan is goose - like 

 enough, but here the resemblance practically stops ! To 

 begin with, the beak is long and strong and spear-like, 

 and is noticeably of the type known as compound — that 

 is, there are several distinct horny plates, recalling the 

 scales of Reptiles, covering the bones of the jaws. The 

 distance to which the jaws extend backwards unconcealed 

 by feathers is responsible for the bird's peculiar * expres- 

 sion,' if we may use the term. 



