AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 217 



appeared to me, in 1852, to be much more abundant 

 than the Cormorant, as was certainly the case in my 

 experience some years later on the coasts of Kerry, 

 Clare, and Mayo. Naturalists are divided in opinion 

 as to whether or not the birds of this family use their 

 wings under water : the editor of the 4th ed. of 

 Yarrell quotes Macgillivray in favour of their doing 

 so, and confirms this from his own experience ; 

 1 never recollect to have seen a Shag under water 

 with " outspread wings," but have never seen one in 

 the act of diving that did not use its wings to a certain 

 extent: my opportunities for observing the Cor- 

 morant's mode of procedure have been more rare, 

 and I should be sorry to affirm positively that I ever 

 saw one of these birds under water with wingrs 

 entirely closed, whereas I can distinctly affirm the 

 contrary. 



199. GANNET, SOLAN GOOSE. 



Sula hassana. 



The only positive record of the occurrence of the 

 Gannet within the present political boundaries of 

 Northamptonshire that I have been able to find 

 occurs in Morton's ' Natural History ' of our county, 

 chap. 7, p. 429, and runs thus : — " The Soland Goose, 

 Anser Bassanus, because it breeds in great numbers 

 in the Bass Island in Scotland. I never heard of it 

 here but at Thengford, where it was shot, and shew'd 

 to Dr. Charlton who then happened to be there and 

 acquainted them with the name of it ; which else 

 had remain'd unknown." I find in my journal for 

 1849 the following entry: — "Gannet, Sii/a hassana, 

 killed at (or near) Bulwick," no date or authority ; 



