46 ON THE BEACH AT DAYTONA. 
land of the free is a great country. Here, 
let us hope, the parallel ends. Whether 
on the banks of Newfoundland or elsewhere, 
it cannot be that the great republic would 
ever snatch a fish that did not belong to it. 
I admired the address of the fish-hawks 
until I saw the gannets. Then I perceived 
that the hawks, with all their practice, were 
no better than landlubbers. The gannets 
kept farther out at sea. Sometimes a scat- 
tered flock remained in sight for the greater 
part of a forenoon. With their long, sharp 
wings and their outstretched necks, — like 
loons, but with a different flight, — they 
were rakish-looking customers. Sometimes 
from a great height, sometimes from a lower, 
sometimes at an incline, and sometimes ver- 
tically, they plunged into the water, and 
after an absence of some seconds, as it 
seemed, came up and rested upon the sur- 
face. They were too far away to be closely 
observed, and for a time I did not feel cer- 
tain what they were. The larger number 
were in dark plumage, and it was not till 
a white one appeared that I said with as- 
surance, “Gannets!” With the bright 
sun on him, he was indeed a splendid bird, 
