18 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. [Vol. XXV. 



had been made of stiff clay, and is almost as solid as the rocky 

 foundation on which it rests. Now and then an adult bird 

 would fly in from the ocean, and, regurgitating the contents of its 

 stomach, would discharge the semi-masticated and partly pre- 

 digested material, consisting of an oily, thick paste, into its 

 offspring's throat. Others, again, brought in fish — principally 

 young Barracouta, Garfish, and Pilchards. It was indeed a 

 magnificent sight to watch a hundred or two of the old birds 

 obtaining their food, as they hovered at an altitude of between 30 

 and 50 feet over a shoal of fish, when, with sudden downward 

 rushes, they plunged headlong into the waves, the impact causing 

 the spray to splash up around tlie spot to the height of about 8 

 feet. On emerging, the birds, with a side-shake of their heads, 

 swallowed their prey. The effect of so many birds " taking 

 headers " from aloft was similar to huge flakes of snow falling. 



Gannets are specially adapted for diving in this manner, since 

 they are provided with a liberal supply of feathers, especially on 

 the crown and neck, which is thick and strong, whilst their bills 

 are pointed like a stiletto, and offer very little resistance to the 

 water. They are also provided with a special apparatus in the 

 shape of a series of small air-sacs, which lie immediately beneath 

 the skin of the breast. These air-vessels can be inflated at will, 

 and thus form a pneumatic cushion, as it were, which enables 

 the bird to soften the concussion caused by meeting the water 

 after their headlong descent ; besides, they also facilitate the bird's 

 return to the surface more easily on account of this added buoy- 

 ancy. Just before the Gannet enters the water in its headlong 

 plunge it neatly claps its wings to its side and holds them there 

 rigidly, otherwise, if they were left open or loose, they would 

 probably be broken ; besides, they would offer too much resistance 

 to the water, and by retarding the progress of the bird its prey 

 would escape. The tip of the wing of the Gannet whilst iri 

 flight covers an angle of 175 degrees. Were a line drawn 

 vertically through the centre of its body the tip of the wing 

 would almost touch it above and below in its sweep of nearly 

 half a circle. The Gannet's fish-like goggle eyes are also specially 

 adapted for sighting its finny prey under water ; whilst their 

 subcylindrical bill, being serrated along the inner edge like the 

 teeth of a saw, helps them to hold their slippery prey more 

 effectually, especially since the serrations point backwards, and 

 they no doubt assist them to partly mince their food. These 

 serrated processes on the Gannet's bill are probably the present 

 day counterparts of the teeth possessed by their ancestors in 

 prehistoric times. Such is the almost incredible change which 

 has been wrought in this bird in nature's workshop, where it has 

 been subjected to a hammering on the anvil of time by its 

 environment until we find the teeth which were embedded 



