THE GANNET AND THE CORMORANT. 483 



the natives wearing them as ornaments or weaving them into various 

 implements. 



The Tropic Bird breeds in the Mauritius. The total length of this 

 bird is about two feet six inches, of which the tail-feathers occupy about 

 fifteen inches. 



The Gannet, Solan Goose, or Spectacled Goose, is a well-known 

 resident on our coasts, its chief home being the Bass Rock in the Frith 

 of Forth, on which it congregates in vast numbers. 



The Gannet is a large bird, nearly three feet long, and, being power- 

 ful on the wing and possessed of a large appetite, it makes great havoc 

 among the fish which it devours. Herrings, pilchards, sprats, and 

 similar fish are the favorite food of the Gannet, and as soon as the 

 shoals of herrings approach the coast the Gannets assemble in flocks 

 and indicate to the fishermen the presence and position of the fifli. 



The Cormorant (Graculus Carbo). 



The nest of the Gannet is a heap of grass, seaweed, and similar sub- 

 stances, on which is laid one very pale blue egg, which, however, does 

 not long retain its purity. The young are clothed with white pufl^y 

 down, which after a while changes to nearly black feathers, the white 

 plumage not being assumed until the bird has reached full age. The 

 head and neck of the full-grown bird are buff, the primaries black, and 

 the rest of the plumage white. The yearling bird is almost wholly 

 black, covered with streaks and triangular marks of grayish white. 

 The total length of this bird is about thirty-four inches. 



The common Cormorant is well known for its voracious habits, its 

 capacities of digestion having long been proverbial. 



This bird is common on all our rocky coasts, where it may be seen sit- 



