564 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



so pure. A young bird of the year has the irides 

 brown ; the forehead, hind part of the neck, back, 

 wings and tail dark brown ; the chin and throat dull 

 white, mixed with pale brown ; the lower part of the 

 neck in front darker brown, mottled with white ; the 

 under surface of the body dull white, mixed with a 

 little brown ; the sides and flanks dark brown. 



The egg is small for the size of the bird, not pear- 

 shaped, as in so many of the sea-birds, but largest in 

 the middle and tapering at both ends; roughish 

 chalky white outside and bluish green inside. 



GANNET or SOLAN GOOSE, Sula alba. The noble 

 old Gannet, to my mind the grandest of all our sea- 

 faring birds, is in his youth an occasional visitor to 

 our coast from the neighbouring breeding station at 

 Lundy ; but I do not know that he ever wanders up 

 our side of the channel as far as Somersetshire in 

 his more mature age. On the south coast of Devon 

 Gannets are very common, and appear to remain 

 there the greater part of the year, as I have myself 

 seen them there at all times from September to May : 

 they appear to be mostly old birds, but the young 

 bird the " Black Gannet," as it is sometimes 

 called is also occasionally taken there. 



I have never seen the swoop of an Eagle on its 

 prey, but I cannot imagine it to be grander than, or 

 so grand as, the dash of the Gannet. It is always a 

 most enjoyable sight to watch a flock of Gannets 

 feeding some soaring high in the air, like Swifts, 



