THE GANNET. 423 



them off without much difficulty. Their attack on dogs, 

 cats, and poultry, if unprotected, was always fatal. They 

 fought at once with their bills, wings, and claws, scream- 

 ing frightfully all the time. They were on this account 

 at last parted with, having killed a favourite pointer. 

 The poor dog had incautiously strayed into the place 

 where they were kept, when they immediately flew at 

 him, and attacked him in front and rear; his loud how- 

 lings brought his master to his aid, but too late ; they 

 had got him down, and inflicted fatal wounds. 



The chief difference between Cormorants and the 

 Frigate-birds, so called from their keeping a sharp look- 

 out on other birds, and robbing them of their fish, 

 consists in the latter having forked tails like our Swal- 

 lows : their spread of wing is also proportionably much 

 larger, and they are altogether of a lighter and more 

 elegant appearance. We know but little of them ; 

 indeed, our knowledge is limited to one species only, 

 the Tachypetes aquila, of which we have already spoken 

 (see page 82), when considering the buoyancy of birds 

 and their power of floating in the air. We shall, 

 therefore, proceed to the next genus, Gannets, or 

 Boobies, as some of them are called by sailors, owing to 

 the stupidity with which they suffer themselves to be 

 attacked and robbed by men and birds. 



The Common Gannet (Solan Goose) is the species to 

 which we shall confine our remarks: well known as it 

 must be to those who have sailed on either side of the 

 Scottish coast, as well as several other shores of our 

 island, it will be more familiar to many under the name 

 of the Solan Goose. Like most of the other birds of 

 this tribe, it is profusely supplied with air-cells; and we 

 refer our readers to the account already given (page 55), 

 of these peculiarities in its formation, merely adding, 

 that from the facility of procuring specimens, a close 

 examination of this species is recommended to those 

 naturalists who wish to acquire more information on 

 the internal economy of air-inflated birds. 



