160 BIRDS. 



Sula bassana (L.). Gannet. 



Seen at most times of the year about the islands, but never at 

 the breeding season, except at their nesting station of Stack or 

 East Sulisgeir, and on their line of flight up and down the 

 Pentland Firth. 



Mr. Watt informs us that only a few Gannets are to be seen 

 about Skaill, or at least that they do not come close inshore 

 there ; though, during stormy weather, they frequent the more 

 sheltered bays and firths. 



For three successive years we have vainly attempted to land 

 on the nesting station of Stack, but, from its formation, the 

 least swell makes it impossible, or at least extremely dangerous, 

 to attempt it, and a dead calm is a thing not often met with in 

 the North Atlantic. Seen in certain positions and some distance 

 off, the Stack reminds one of an iceberg, white as it is with the 

 droppings of the Gannets. 



During a visit made to the Stack by Harvie-Brown in July 

 1887 he made the following notes on the birds seen there: 



" A very large proportion of the Gannets were in the younger 

 stages of plumage, a larger proportion, indeed, than I have ever 

 noticed before at any other nursery. This tends to the belief 

 that this station is not so persistently robbed, nor so regularly 

 or so frequently visited and landed upon as others, such as 

 Sulisgeir (West), which pays its annual toll of from two to three 

 thousand birds. The glasses revealed a very considerable pro- 

 portion of dark birds amongst the white ones ; and, on the 

 wing, immature birds of the first, second, and third year were 

 clearly distinguished, and almost constantly in sight. 



"Considerable numbers of other rock birds, principally 

 Kittiwakes and Guillemots, with a few Razorbills, occupied cer- 

 tain ledges and convenient cracks and crevices. Of Cormorants 

 and Shags we' saw none." 



Mr. Spence gives the following account of the curious capture 

 of a Gannet : 



"In July 1863, while Dr. James Logic of Kirkwall was return- 

 ing from visiting a patient in Harray, he succeeded in capturing 

 a fine specimen of the Solan Goose in the following manner : 



