50 OCEAN BIRDS. 



his examination of one that died in the Zoological Gardens, says: — "Numerous strips of 

 muscular fibres passed from various parts of the surface of the body, and were firmly 

 attached to the skin ; a beautiful fan-shaped muscle was also spread over the external 

 surface of the air-cell anterior to the os furciform. The use of these muscles appeared 

 to be, to produce instantaneous expulsion of the air from the external cells, and by thus 

 increasing the specific gravity of the bird to enable it to descend with the rapidity necessary 

 to the capture of a living prey while swimming near the surface of the water." 



The late Frank Buckland, in his 'Notes and Jottings from Animal Life,' also refers 

 to this peculiarity of the Gannet. He says : — " Instead of swooping like a Gull, the 

 Gannet drops almost perpendicularly from a great height into the sea, causing the water 

 to splash up. By an admirable structure the Gannet is enabled to blow the whole of 

 his body full of air, so that, in fact, he becomes an animated balloon, the skin also being 

 divided into air-cells. I am more convinced than ever of the wonderful adaptation of 

 means to ends as seen in the structure of the Gannet." 



Taking another extract from this most interesting book, he says : — " Besides the 

 herrings, there were several Gannets caught by the neck in the meshes of the net. The 

 Gannets had dived, as usual, from a great height on to the floating herrings, had thrust 

 their long pointed beaks through the meshes of the nets, and so were drowned." 



I take one more extract, this time to show that the Gannet is not altogether such a 

 simpleton as one would suppose : — " I was told quite a new story about Gannets, which breed 

 very abundantly in Scotland. When these birds are building, they steal materials for the 

 nest one from the other. If the thief Gannet is caught in the act, the bird to whom the 

 property belongs gives the thief a good thrashing, which she takes quietly and as a matter 

 of course. If the thief is not detected stealing, she flies out to sea with the stolen 

 property, and then returns looking very innocent, and pretending that she had got it away 

 at sea. So we learn that there are humbugs among birds as among our noble selves." 



The Black-tailed Gannet (Sula capnisis). — This bird is exceedingly common all 

 round tiie shores of South Africa, and is consequently well known to Australian voyagers, 

 lu Layard and Sharpe's 'Birds of South Africa' we read the following account: — "The 

 ' Malagash,' as it is called by the colonists, or Common Gannet of South Africa. General 

 colour throughout white ; the larger feathers of the wings and tail black-brown ; the 

 shafts of the former grey ; those of the latter white ; head and neck, and particularly 

 the back of the latter, ochreous-yellow ; space round and before the eye, bare, and of a 

 dark blue colour ; a ])are stripe of the same extends from the angle of the mouth, on 



