The oesupha-us is straight. Proventriculus, large and wide, with th(! glands arranged 

 in a very wid^s zonular bai.d Stomach, rather small and not muscular. Cujca, (luite 

 small. Keel, i)rojeeted forward and occupies only about one half the length of the ster- 

 num. Furcula, (luite verticle in position. Posterior margin of sternum, deeply indented 

 in which are two small scallops. Tail, long and pointed. 



GENUS I. SULA. THE (iANNETS 

 Gen. Cu. SiuuUn- to those given under Family beadin-. Sexes, similar. Tii^e ^,c two spoeies witliiu our limite. 



SULA BASSANiV. 



Gannet. 



Su/ii bas.iana Biiiss., Orn. HliO. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Sp Cu. Form, riibust. Size, large. CoLiiu. Adult. Wliite tlirougliuut, becoming bully-yellow on head and hind 



neck Primaries ami .-purious wing, d'^rrk-brown. liill , bluish, iris, bluish-white, feet, brownish lined with greenish-blue, 



and naked space about head, dark-bhiisli. Yountj. Dark-browu above, each feather tcruiinating with a, triangular patch 



of white. Beneath, ashy-white mottled with dusky. 



OBSERVATIONS. 

 Known by the large size, pointe<l bill, and general white eolors. Distributed in summer from the Gulf of St. Lawrenee, 

 northward; wintering from Florida to the Carolinas. 



DIMENSIONS. 

 Average measurements of specimens from North America. Length, 3!»-25; stretch, 73-50; wing, IH SO; tail, SI-.'SO; bill, 

 3-75; tarsus, 2' 13. Longest specimen, 40-.'50; greatest extent of wing, 75-00; longest wing, 19-50; tail. lO'OO; bill, 4-()0; tai-sus, 

 ii-25. Shortest specimen, 38-00; smallest extent of wing, 7-2-00; shortest wing, 17-50; tail, O'OO; bill, 3-50; tarsus. 200. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 

 Nesls. placed on roeky cliffs, composed of sea-weeds. Eyijs, one or two in number, oval in form, and greenish -))lue 

 in color, covered with a calcareous deposit. Dimensions from r80x3-00 to ■2-10x3-30. 



HABITS. 



Twelve miles to the northward of the Magdalen group, is a little islet known as Bird 

 Rock, while about half a mile to the south-west, is a rather .sniiiller rock, cilled (lie Liltle 

 Bird, and a chain of submerged reefs extend between the two. As tlicre i^ a strong cur- 

 rent sweeping across. this hidden ledge at certain times, tlie place is considered \ery dan- 

 gerous by the nither timid fishermen who sail from the neighboring ports. One d:iy in 

 June, 1872, I stood on the northern end of Bryon Island and gazed with longing eyes at 

 a little white spot, twelve miles away, which I knew was the celebrated Bird Rock, but 

 owiu"- to the disreputable name which these rocks have justly acquired among lishermen, 

 it was not until several days later, that in company with two friends, I found iiiyscli'on 

 board a little schooner, bound for the spot whereon I had fixed my desires. We st;irteil ear- 

 ly in the morning but it was three o'clock in the afternoon betbre we reached the place, 

 for the wind was light. In spite of this, however, there was ([uite ;i surf dashing up the 

 clifts, which so alarmed our timid eapttiin that he would not allow the schooner to go very 

 near, but anchored ti quarter of a mile away. 



The fog through which we had hitherto been sailing, scaled oJF at this moment, dis- 

 closing to our gaze one of the grandest sights that we ever beheld, fm- directly in i'ront of 

 us, rose a huge, rocky bastion, the precipitous sides of which were occupied by myriads of 

 Awksi Guillemots, and Puffins, thousands of snowy plumaged Ganm.^fs floated in air ovci- 

 the high clifts, while the water below was thickly dotted with various species. After Ihis 

 display, we were exceedingly anxious to land, but our skipper took his time, yet at last, 

 we stood on a sandy beach, at the foot of the perfectly perpendicular (diifs which rose a 

 hundred ;iud fifty feet over our heads; thus we would have had the utmost dilhciilty in 



