THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 71 



Family SULID-^:. 



The Gannets. 



The Gannets and Boobies, which comprise this family, are large 

 birds with a powerful, heavy bill, somewhat serrate on its edges near 

 the tip. They secure the fish npon which they live by diving for them 

 from some distance up in the air. Our only species, the Gannet, 

 nests on Bird Rock in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and occurs in New 

 Jersey only as a transient. 



117 Sula bassana (Linnaeus). 

 Gannet. 



Adults. — Length, 30-40. Wing, 19.50. Plumage, white; head and neck 

 washed with straw color ; primaries, brownish-black. 



Young in first autumn and winter. — Above, and whole head, neck and throat, 

 grayish-brown, thickly marked with triangular white spots ; tail, white at 

 base ; breast and abdomen, white ; all feathers bordered with grayish-brown. 



A spring and fall migrant, usually keeping well oflE shore, but occa- 

 sionally coming in to the coast or up the rivers. 



]\rr. H. W. Hand tells me that they remain in varying numbers off 

 the capes of Delaware Bay all winter, and May 25th, 1890, one was 

 captured on the Delaware, at Salem,^ by Messrs, S. B. Irwin and J. H. 

 CuUen. 



One was taken the same year at Atlantic City,^ and one on April 

 26th, on the tishing banks off Five Mile Beach, by Capt. John Taylor.^ 

 A young bird in the brown plumage was shot at Holly Beach November 

 22d, 1897.=^ Mr. Hand reports them seen off Cape May March 11th, 

 1903; March 18th, 1907; February 25th, 1906. 



^ Stone, Birds of E. Pa. and N. J., p. 50. 

 ^ Laurent, O. and O., 1892, p. 43. 

 * Colin. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila. 



