BIRDS OP THE HUMBEB DISTRICT. 191 



some of their northern breeding-stations. I now 

 know of no nesting-station of the Shag on the east 

 coast of England. A pair or two nested recently on 

 the Farn Islands. Mr. William Brown, in a visit made 

 to these islands in June 1866 (Zoologist, 1866, p. 

 484), says that " three pairs had nested and laid their 

 eggs, but were unfortunately shot by the fishermen/' 

 Now that the seafowl are protected during the nesting- 

 season by an Act of Parliament, it is to be hoped that 

 the Cormorants will return to their old quarters. 



Mr. Boulton had several Green Cormorants, from 

 the Yorkshire coast as well as from inland waters. 

 They are, however, I consider, more oceanic birds 

 than the common species, and occur less often on 

 fresh water. 



247. SULA BASSANA (Linnaeus). The Gannet. 

 The nearest breeding-station of the Gannets to the 

 Humber is that on the Bass rock at the mouth of the 

 Firth of Forth *. The birds, therefore, found off our 

 coast are in all probability wanderers from this or 

 some more northern nesting-station. They may 

 occasionally be met with in great numbers off Flam- 

 borough Head and along the coast in the autumn, 

 both mature birds and immature in the dark 

 spotted plumage the former, however, as far as my 



* Mr. R. Gray (Birds of the West of Scotland, p. 460), says, 

 11 it is believed, on a moderate calculation, the number on the 

 Bass rock may be set down at 20,000." 



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