rr 



popular SBtcttonarg at &ntmatrtr $atttre. 



255 



herring and pilchard being their favour- 

 ites ; and they take their prey by darting 

 down upon it from a considerable height. 

 They make their nests, which are composed 

 chiefly of turf and sea-weeds, in the caverns 

 and lissures of rocks, or on their ledges, as 

 well as on the plain surface of the ground. 

 The female (according to Bewick) lays three 

 white eggs, somewhat smaller than those of 

 a goose ; but we find it elsewhere stated, that 

 the Gannet, if not disturbed, will lay only 

 one egg throxighout the year ; but if that be 

 taken away, it will lay another, and in like 

 manner a third, which she is generally per- 

 mitted to hatch. Their greatest known ren- 

 dezvous is the Hebrides and other solitary 

 rocky isles of North Britain, such as the 

 Bass in the Firth of Forth, and Ailsa Crag, 

 in the Firth of Clyde, where their nests, in 

 the months of May and June, are described as 

 so closely placed together, that it is difficult 

 to walk without treading upon some of 

 them ; and it is said that the swarms of the 

 old birds are so prodigious, that when they 

 rise into the air, they stun the ear with their 

 noise, and overshadow the ground like the 

 clouds. The inhabitants of the islands 

 where these birds breed derive considerable 

 emolument from the produce of their eggs ; 

 but to obtain them they encounter the most 

 fearful risks, now climbing rocks which are 

 almost inaccessible, and now clinging to the 

 craggy precipices which, at a prodigious 

 height, overhang a raging sea. 



In Mr. Couch's " Cornish Fauna " we are 

 told that " the Gannet takes its prey in a 

 different manner from any other of our 

 aquatic birds ; for, traversing the air in all 

 directions, with a heavy and irregular flight, 

 as soon as it discovers the fish it rises to such 

 a height as experience shows best calculated 

 to carry it by a downward motion to the 

 required depth, and then partially closing 

 its wings it falls perpendicularly on the 

 prey, and rarely without success, the time 

 between the plunge and emersion being about 

 fifteen seconds. When pilchards are col- 

 lected into a narrow space, the number and 

 eagerness of the Gannets are such, that it is 

 surprising they do not fall on and kill each 

 other. Their clamour indeed at such times 

 proves them to be well on their guard, but 

 it is also probable that every one in falling 

 has its eye fixed on the fish it intends to 

 seize, and the well-poised wings direct it 

 unerringly to its prey. The form and setting 

 on of the Gannet's wings well fit it for as- 

 suming the perpendicular attitude prepara- 

 tory to its fall, which is effected with ease, 

 rapidity, and precision. They are attached 

 to the body about the centre of gravity, so 

 that the anterior parts drop as on a pivot, 

 and the elbow being about the middle of the 

 distance between the shoulder and wrist, a 

 slight inclination in any direction is suffi- 

 cient to regulate the motion." There are 

 also other species bearing the name of Gan- 

 net, but the one just described is the best 

 known and the largest. The White Gannet, 

 which inhabits China : the Booby Gannet, 

 common on the coasts of South America, 

 and described as being a very stupid bird ; 

 hence the appellation given to it by sailors : 



and the Brown Gannet, belonging to the 

 West Indies and the western coast of tro- 

 pical Africa. [See SULA.] 



GARFISH. (Esox Icione.) This fish has 

 a variety of names ; as, Garfish, Sea-pike, 

 Sword-fish, Greenbone, Mackerel-Guide, 

 Sea-Needle, &c. It generally precedes the 

 Mackerel in their annual visit to shallow 

 water for the purpose of spawning, and is 

 taken on various parts of the Dutch, English, 



OAR-FI8H. (K8OX BELONF.) 



Scotch, and Irish coasts. It is from twenty 

 to twenty-four inches in length, with long, 

 narrow, beak-like snout, the under jaw pro- 

 jecting ; the teeth are numerous and minute, 

 the eyes large ; the dorsal and anal fins op- 

 posite each other ; pectoral and ventral fins 

 small ; and the tail considerably forked. 

 The upper part of the head and back is of a 

 dark green hue, the sides paler, and the belly 

 a silvery white. It is a very vivacious fish, 

 and seizes the bait with avidity. The flesh 

 of the Garfish has somewhat the flavour of 

 Mackerel, but is more dry ; and the bones 



GARROT. (.Clangula.-) A genus of the 

 Duck family, widely distributed over the 

 colder and temperate regions of both Europe 

 and America. The head is large, com- 

 pressed, rounded above ; bill shorter than 

 the head, higher than broad at the base ; 

 neck short and thick ; body ovate and 

 depressed ; eyes small ; legs very short, and 

 placed far behind; hind toe lobed. They 

 breed in the colder regions of Europe and 

 America, returning to more temperate 

 climes in winter. They haunt rivers, lakes, 

 estuaries, and feed chiefly on mollusca, and 

 also on larvae, Crustacea, and sometimes 

 small fish, for which they dive. 1. The 

 GOLDEN-EYED GARROT (Clangula vulgaris 

 is a common species in Britain ; 2. The 

 HARLEQUIN GARROT (Clangula histrionica") 

 occurs as a rare straggler. [See DUCK.] 



GASTEROPODA. The name of a class 

 of molluscous animals which move from 

 place to place by means of a fleshy disc, or 

 foot, situated under the abdomen. The 

 greater part of these Mollusca consist of ani- 

 mals inhabiting a univalve shell, which is 

 cone-shaped and rolled into a spiral ; and 

 of such the snail is a familiar specimen. 

 Some species, on the contrary, have no shell ; 

 of which the slug is an example. The body 

 is elongated, and terminates in front by a 

 head, more or less developed, with a mouth 

 provided with from two to six tentacula ; 

 the back is enveloped in a mantle, which 

 secretes the shell ; and the belly is'covered 

 on its under side by the fleshy mass of the 

 foot. In most aquatic Gasteropoda whose 

 shell is spiral, there is a horny or calcareous 

 disc, called the operculum, which is attached 

 to the hinder part of the foot, and is used for 

 closing the entrance of the shell when the 

 animal withdraws itself. Some of the Gas- 



z 2 



