September on the Bass Rock 



gannet settled to her work with a certain amount of reluct- 

 ance, shaking her head from time to time and scattering small 

 pieces of the fish about as though in disgust. 



One day a considerable amount of debris floated near the 

 base of the Rock, and amongst it were what appeared to be 

 a number of cabbage stalks. Naturally these objects were 

 eagerly tested by the gannet population with a view to dis- 

 covering whether they were suitable for nest-building, but the 

 general decision arrived at was that they were too heavy and 

 clumsy for this purpose. A case of extreme selfishness— or 

 was it had feeling?— was noted in connexion with this. A 

 gannet swimming on the water was testing one of these 

 cabbage stems, and although there were many others floating 

 around, a second gannet determined not to allow the first 

 comer to remain in undisputed possession of the field. Flying 

 down, therefore, to the water's edge he angrily drove off the 

 bird in possession, but then made no attempt to utilize the 

 stem he had captured. 



Gannets are remarkably powerful in their flight, and I 

 saw them to full advantage during the succession of strong 

 winds which swept the Rock. At times such as these an 

 endless procession of solan geese would soar steadily in the 

 teeth of the wind, almost touching the Rock, and passing 

 within a few feet of where I watched. It was where the wind, 

 blowing straight in from the open sea, shot up over the 

 precipices that the prettiest flying was witnessed. In the swiftly 

 uprushing current the birds had considerable difficulty in 

 alighting on their various ledges. Their method of pro- 

 cedure was to swoop down from a height, and as they 

 approached their particular ledge to halt in their flight, rock- 

 ing from side to side, with tail bent upwards so as to 

 preserve their equilibrium, and feet pointing downwards and 

 far apart. Sometimes, when the wind was violent, they 

 hovered in the air with rapidly vibrating wings, appearing 

 for all the world on such occasions like gigantic kestrels. 

 While on the wing together the birds were decidedly nervous, 



133 



