180 THE NATURALIST IN NORWAY. 



The shag (P. cristatus) . This bird is smaller in size 

 than the preceding, wherefore it is called in Norway 

 the smaasltarv , or small cormorant. It is common on 

 the west coast of Finmark and Nordland, in this 

 country. The nest is made of dry seaweed, and con- 

 tains from three to five greenish- white eggs. 



The gannet (Sulcu bassana) is common enough in 

 some parts of Norway. It is seen in winter on the 

 Christiania-fjord, and towards the early spring it pro- 

 ceeds to the south-west coast of Norway in pursuit of 

 the young herrings. This bird is called in Norway 

 the havsule. Sule is an old Norsk word, still in use 

 liere, and appears to be a corruption of the word svale, 

 or swallow. Thus, liavsille means sea-swallow, a desig- 

 nation which the gannet has gained for its high flight. 

 It was known to Pontoppidan, who has given an amu- 

 sing engraving of it in his work on the natural history 

 of Norway. The gannet there represented has its legs 

 very far back, and a large horny protuberance on its 

 head, resembling in shape an old-fashioned snuffbox. 

 The bishop says, " The gannet is like a goose, and is 

 eatable when roasted or salted. It is not seen in Nor- 

 way until the end of January, or in the beginning of 

 February, when the herring fishery begins. It does 

 not come nearer land than half a Norwegian mile; 

 thus the fisherman knows when the fish are in the 

 narrow and shallow waters. At Easter it is seen no 

 more. It is so stupid that, by laying a few herrings 

 on a floating-board, it may be enticed to the boat, and 

 killed with the oar." The nest is made of seaweed 

 and dry grass, and contains a single greenish-white 

 egg. The egg is small, considering the size of the 

 bird. 



