148 NATURAL HISTOItY [Birds. 



to six eggs of a white colour ; fly a great way for fish, especi- 

 ally while they are scarcest, that is, while the young fish are 

 so small as to be unobserved by them. 



Our Hoy men and other rock-men tell us they sit in very 

 large flocks on the rocks, and one keeps watch while the rest 

 are asleep ; if they can catch the watcher they are sure of the 

 whole, but if he gives warning they all throw themselves over 

 the rock into the sea. The rock-men go in the night-time to the 

 places where they frequent, and catch many of them as above. 



Species 3. The Gannet. 



Soland Goose, Wil. Orn. 328. Rail Syn. Av. 122. Sib. Scot. 20. tab. 9. 

 Mart. Desc. West. Isles, 281. Pelecanus Bassanus, Lin. Sys. 217. Brit. 

 Zool. 479. Pen. Tour. 165, tab.S. Ore. Solan. 



THE Solan Goose breeds in none of the Orkney Isles, as far 

 as I can learn, but is very frequent in our bays, where great 

 numbers of them may be seen fishing, after their manner, to- 

 gether. I have observed they dart briskest in windy wea- 

 ther; perhaps the motion of the water disturbing the fish, makes 

 them appear better to this quick-eyed observer ; however this 

 is, the bird flies slowly along till it sees a fish, when it immedi- 

 ately throws itself on its back, and darts at the fish. Whe- 

 ther this last particular of its throwing itself on its back has 

 been before observed I know not, but have myself observed 

 it many and oft times. The nearest land to Orkney where 



