354 GANNKT. 



SO for many years on the ' Stags ' (/>. Stacks) of Broadhaven, off 

 the coast of Mayo. 



In the Fferoes this species breeds on Myggenaes, the most western 

 island of the group ; in Iceland it has several colonies ; and thou- 

 sands nest on the Magdalene Islands and some other rocks in the 

 Gulf of St. Lawrence. In winter it ranges over the Atlantic, down 

 to North Africa and Madeira on this side, and the Gulf of Mexico 

 on the other ; but it seldom enters the Baltic or goes far up the 

 Mediterranean, though after stormy weather it has occasionally 

 been taken at a considerable distance inland. In Africa, from 

 Angola southward, our bird is represented by ^. capensis, which has 

 a nearly black tail ; while it is in the Southern Hemisphere that the 

 genus is most abundant. 



The nest is a mass of sea-weed and grass, on which is deposited 

 a single egg ; this is at first of a pale blue overlaid with chalky-v/hite, 

 but soon becomes soiled : average measurements 3'25 by i'9 in. 

 When unmolested, Gannets are very tame during incubation, and 

 will allow themselves to be stroked by the hand without any sign of 

 impatience except a low guttural grog, grog; but at times they are 

 very vociferous, and as they are continually interfering with each 

 other, or taking advantage of the absence of their neighbours to 

 pilfer the materials of their nests, a constant noise is kept up, which 

 may be syllabled as carra, crac, era. The immense numbers 

 which throng Stack-an-Armin and Stack Lii, off Boreray, form a 

 sight never to be forgotten. The food consists of surface- 

 swimming fish, such as herrings, pilchards, sprats and anchovies, 

 upon which the Gannet plunges perpendicularly with closed 

 wings from a considerable height ; and as it fishes in company, 

 considerable numbers often become entangled in the meshes of 

 the fishermen's long sea-nets. The young are collected in August, 

 and, having been plucked, cleaned and half-roasted, are sold, in 

 Scotland, for food ; the fat is boiled down into oil, and the feathers 

 are used for stuffing beds. 



The adult has the head and neck buff-colour ; all the rest of the 

 plumage white, except the primaries, which are black. In the bird 

 of the first year, the under plumage is mottled with dusky-ash and 

 buff, while the upper parts are blackish-brown flecked with white. 

 In each successive year the dark markings diminish until the sixth, 

 when the adult dress is attained. Length 34 in. ; wing 19 in. The 

 nestling, at first naked and black, is afterwards covered with down, 

 which is most persistent on the head and neck, giving the bird 

 the appearance of wearing a long wig. 



