148 JOTTINGS ABOUT BIRDS. 



welcome intrusion of their haunt. The nest little 

 more than a hollow is made on some ledge of the 

 cliffs, and the young are hatched before the Gannets 

 and other sea-fowl commence nesting. Two other 

 species must be mentioned to complete our list of 

 the birds of the Bass. These are the Shag and 

 the Rock Dove, numbers of which breed in the 

 caves and fissures that honeycomb the rock, and 

 whose haunts can only be visited with a boat. 



Whilst standing on the summit of the cliffs, the 

 visitor must not fail to notice the excessively pretty 

 sight of the Gannets fishing. The birds may be 

 observed engaged in this task almost in every 

 portion of the surrounding sea. The Gannet is a 

 plunger, capturing its finny prey by darting down 

 from the air above, and seizing the fish in its long, 

 spear-shaped beak. One after the other the big 

 birds may be seen falling like blocks of flashing 

 white marble into the water, throwing up a cloud 

 of spray and foam where they strike the surface. 

 Many fishermen have assured me that they have 

 known Gannets plunge headlong into boats con- 

 taining fish ; and it is said that in some districts 

 the birds are caught by fastening a fish to a board 

 which is allowed to float on the sea. Most admir- 

 ably is the Gannet adapted to its ways of life. The 



