HABITS OF THE GANNET 229 



Although the Gannet wanders as far south as Long Is- 

 land, its real home is where it breeds. "While there are many 

 points along the coast from Maine to Labrador where the 

 Gannets might breed, they are found, so far as I have been 

 able to ascertain, only at three places, an island in the Bay of 

 Fundy, the Bird Rocks near the geographical centre of the 

 Gulf of St. Lawrence and Bonaventure Island, at Perce, 

 Canada, the colony at Mingan being too small and too nearly 

 exterminated to be taken into consideration." (Frederic A. 

 Lucas.) 



In 1860 Dr. Bryant estimated the total number of Gan- 

 nets on the Bird Rocks at 150,000. 



In 1872 Mr. William Brewster estimated the number then 

 living there at 50,000. 



In 1887 Dr. Lucas found not a single Gannet nesting on 

 Little Bird Rock, and not over 10,000 on Great Rock. 



Although the Gannets, and other sea-birds, make their 

 homes on the most inaccessible spots they can find, there is 

 no bird which man cannot reach with a gun, no nest to which 

 he cannot climb, or be lowered at the end of a rope. 



Sea-birds everywhere are persecuted by man, either for 

 their eggs or for themselves. In their breeding-season the 

 Gannets are continually visited by Indians and whites, who 

 take their eggs. "Scarce a day passes," says Dr. Lucas, 

 "without a visit from fishermen in search of eggs, or murres. 

 Many barrels of eggs are gathered during the season, and 

 altogether the birds lead a rather precarious existence. There 

 is a law regulating the taking of eggs, and if this were ob- 

 served, or could be strictly enforced, a large number of eggs 



