WATER-FOWL. 



583 



Europe, as well as this bird, with their spoil. 

 The gannet assiduously attends the shoal in 

 their passage, keeps with them in their whole 

 circuit round our island, and shares with our 

 fishermen this exhaustless banquet. As it is 

 strong of wing, it never comes near the land; 

 but is constant to its prey. Wherever the 

 gannet is seen, it is sure to announce to the 

 fishermen the arrival of the finny tribe : they 

 (her. prepare their nets, and take the herrings 

 by millions at a draught; while the gannet, 

 who came to give the first information, comes, 

 though an unbidden guest, and often snatches 

 its prey from the fisherman even in his boat. 

 While the fishing season continues, the gan- 

 nets are busily employed ; but when the pil- 

 chards disappear from our coasts, the gannet 

 takes its leave to keep them company. 



The cormorant has been remarked for the 

 quickness of his sight; yet in this the gannet 

 seems to exceed him. It is possessed of a 

 transparent membrane under the eye-lid, with 

 which it covers the whole eye at pleasure, 

 without obscuring the sight in the smallest 

 degree. This seems a necessary provision 

 for the security of the eyes of so weighty a 

 creature, whose method of taking its prey, 

 like I hat of the cormorant,, is by darting head- 

 long down from a height of a hundred feet 

 and more into the water to seize it. These 



birds are sometimes taken at sea, by fasten- 

 ing a pilchard to a board, which they leave 

 floating. The gannet instantly pounces down 

 from above upon the board, and is killed or 

 maimed by the shock of a body where it 

 expected no resistance." 



These birds breed but once a year, and lay 

 but one egg, which being taken away, they 

 lay another; if that is also taken, then a third; 

 but never more for that season. Their egg 

 is white, arid rather less than that of the com- 

 mon goose ; and their nest large, composed 

 of such substances as are found floating on 

 the surface of the sea. The young birds, 

 during the first year, differ greatly in colour 

 from the old ones; being of a dusky hue, 

 speckled with numerous triangular white 

 spots ; and at that time resembling the co- 

 lours of the speckled diver. 



The Bass island, where they chiefly breed, 

 belongs to one proprietor; so that care is tar 

 ken never to fright away the birds when lay- 

 ing, or to shoot them upon the wing. By 

 that means, they are so confident as to alight 

 and feed their young ones close beside you. 

 They feed only upon fish, as was observed; 

 yet the young gannet is counted a great dain- 

 ty by the Scots, and is sold very dear; so 

 that the lord of the islet makes a considera- 

 ble annual profit by the sale. 



CHAPTER CXXVI1L 



OF THE SMALLER GULLS AND PETRELS. 



HAVING described the manners of the 

 great ones of this tribe, those of the smaller 

 kinds may be easily inferred. They resem- 

 ble the more powerful in their appetites for 

 prey, but have not such certain methods of 

 obtaining it. In general, therefore, the in- 

 dustry of this tribe, and their audacity, in- 

 crease in proportion to their imbecility; the 

 great gulls live at the most remote distance 



Mr. Pennant says, that one of these birds flying over 

 Penzance in Cornwall, saw some pilchards lying on a fir 

 plank, where they had been placed for curing ; and dart- 



from man ; the smaller are obliged to reside 

 wherever they can take their prey ; and to 

 come into the most populous places, when so- 

 litude can no longer grant them a supply. In 

 this class we may place the Gull, properly so 

 called, of which there are above twenty dif- 

 ferent kinds ; the Petrel, of which there are 

 three ; and the Sea-swallow, of which there 

 are as many. The gulls may be distinguish- 

 ing itself down with great violence, it struck its bill quite 

 through an inch and quarter plank* it was killed on the 

 spot. 



