PELICANIDM. 49 



The Masked Gannet {Sula personata). — I have frequently seen these birds in the 

 Southern Seas, and they can always be recognised by a blackish face against a dazzling 

 white body. Together with all the other members of the Gannet family, it possesses the 

 two attributes of magnificent diving at sea and absolute lunacy on board ship. It is 

 thus described by Gould, in his 'Birds of Australia': — "The whole of the plumage of both 

 sexes is pure white, with the exception of the greater wing-coverts, primaries, secondaries, 

 tertiaries, the tips of the two central and the whole of the lateral tail-feathers, which are 

 of a rich chocolate-brown; irides yellow; naked skin of the face and chin in specimen 

 dark bluish black; legs greenish blue." 



The correct ornithological name of this Gannet is Sttla cyanops. Two specimens 

 collected by H.M.S. 'Challenger' are thus described by Messrs. Sclater and Salvin, in the 

 'Proceedings of the Zoological Society' for 1878: — "137 and 138. Females. Eaine Island. 

 Eyes yellow ; skin of the throat black ; legs and feet slate-colour. Stomach contained fish 

 and cuttlefish." 



Australian Gannet (Stda austmlis). — This bird is exactly the same in every particular 



as our own Gannet [Sula bassana). It is another example of a southern type of a northern 



bird. In this case, however, the resemblance is so complete that two descriptions are 



unnecessary. Goiild gives the following dimensions : — total length, 32 in. ; bill, 5j in. ; 

 wing, 19 in. ; tail, 10 in. ; tarsi, 2 in. 



Gannet {Sula hassaua). — This well-known bird is generally called the " Solan Goose." 

 Describing it, Mr. H. E. Dresser, in his 'Birds of Europe,' says: — "Sula bassana, the type 

 of the genus, has the bill longer than the head, straight, elongated, conical, moderately 

 compressed ; upper mandible with the ridge broad, separated from the sides by grooves, 

 the sides being slightly convex, with a slender jointed additional piece beneath the eye, 

 the edges sharp, irregiilarly jagged ; tip acute, slightly decurved ; the small gular sac is 

 partially bare ; nostrils obliterated in the adult, open in the young ; wings, long, narrow, 

 pointed, the first quill longest; tail long, wedge-shaped; tarsus very short, sharp behind, 

 scaly; toes united by a membrane, the middle toe longest; claws arched, moderate in 

 size, that on the middle toe pectinate." 



It is most interesting to watch a Gannet dive after a fish. They seem to fold their 

 wings, and regularly dash into the sea with a sort of slap-dash that would give a sensitive 

 person a headache. Not content with this, they continue the dive far under the water, 

 regularly pursuing the fish deep down in his own element. 



With regard to this wonderful power of descending on a fish, Sir Eichard Owen, in 



