BIRDS. 139 



never returned. Old residents in the neighbourhood can 

 still remember these birds, but, though they were con- 

 stantly under observation they were never known to nest. 



SHAG, or Green Cormorant. Has been reported less 



P. graculus. often than the above, but immature 



birds have occurred at Ellesmere, 



Hawkstone, Longville, and in September, 1897, at 



Polmere. 



G AN NET, or Solan Goose. A large bird which when 

 Sula Bassana. adult is chiefly white, but the young is 



brown with white flecks. When in 

 pursuit of food, which consists of fish near the surface 

 of the sea, they fly along low down to obtain velocity, 

 when shooting aloft till the momentum is exhausted, 

 they plunge with closed wings into the sea, a great 

 shower of spray flashing upwards around the spot. As 

 they fish thus in large flocks, the spectacle is most 

 exhilarating. The Gannet has occurred at Market 

 Drayton, near Shrewsbury, and near Clee Hill. One 

 was found exhausted at Ruyton-xi-Towns, in 1890, and 

 three at Stapleton, April 24th, 1896, one of which was 

 killed. 



HERON B. Frequently seen on rivers and pools, standing 



Ardea cinerea. motionless in the shallows till some 



unlucky fish swims by, when it is 



darted upon with unerring aim. (For an account of the 



Heron eating a Water Vole, see page 80). Some of the 



old Heronries are now deserted, but the Heron still breeds 



at Attingham, Oakley, and Walcot Parks ; Colemere, 



and Halston. At the last named place they have been 



seen, in a gale, holding on to the boughs by their beaks. 



Illustration page 123. 



