THE PELICANS 211 



in chapter 3, p. 93, collected many thousands of gannets and pre- 

 served their carcases for the winter. 



The fledgling gannet remains on the cliffs for a week or ten days, 

 during which it loses the rest of its visible down. It may not remain 

 in the nest, but often wanders to the edge of the cliffs where it exercises 

 its wings, frequently in the company of other fledgelings. Any adults 

 present appear to ignore the grown fledgeling, and to be much occupied 

 in their own posturings in a recrudescence of the ceremonies of spring 

 — nest-building and emotional interchange. For the young bird this 

 is a period of fasting which will reduce its weight from over 9 to under 

 8 pounds and enable it to launch itself on a long flapping downward 

 flight to the sea. Thus, quite unassisted by its parents, which may or 

 may not be present on the cliffs at the time (but which, if so, have 

 completely lost interest in their child), the fledgeling takes to the sea. 

 Floundering downwards (since it is yet incapable of sustained flight) , 

 the young gannet, in the absence of any headwind, ends up by striking 

 the water clumsily and with some force. It may even fail to reach the 

 sea in the first attempt and may bounce against the rocks, but, being 

 fat and well covered with feathers, as well as possessing a shock-absorber 

 of air-filled cellular tissue about the neck and breast, it is not usually 

 seriously damaged, and continues to scramble downwards until it 

 reaches the water. It cannot fly, and it has not been observed to dive 

 from the floating position. It remains floating on the surface, swim- 

 ming as fast as possible away from the land. Drifting on the strong 

 tides which beset the islands and headlands where gannets breed, the 

 young bird makes all haste to get out in the open sea. Kay (1949) 

 gives an account of the haste of the fledgeling to get away from the 

 Noss colony, swimming at a half to three-quarters of a mile an hour, 

 unable to fly or dive, but flapping its wings often. It is quite alone 

 and makes no effort to associate with its fellows which are launched at 

 the same time. The adults continue to ignore it; all reliable evidence 

 proves this in spite of published stories about young gannets following 

 their parents (or other adults) at sea in autumn. If anything, adults, 

 meeting them by accident at sea, may attack (Perry, 1948). The evid- 

 ence that casual adults may respond to the food-begging actions of 

 young at sea (Perry, 1950) is, in our opinion, unsatisfactory. Boobies 

 and tropic-birds are likewise independent and solitary at this age. 



Up to the end of the first week of its existence the life of the young 

 cormorant or shag is similar to that of the young gannet. But cormorant 

 and shag lay from two to six eggs, and these hatch in about 24 days, 



