76 THE LAND'S END 



The birds were in considerable numbers, sweeping 

 round in great curves and circles at a uniform height 

 of about two hundred and fifty feet from the surface. 

 They were distributed over an immense area ; rang- 

 ing, in fact, over the entire visible sea, from those that 

 fished within a couple of hundred yards off the rocks 

 on which I sat, to the furthest away, which appeared 

 as moving white specks on the horizon. When fish- 

 ing from that height the gannet drops straight down 

 on its prey, striking the sea with such force as to send 

 up a column of water eight or ten feet high, the bird 

 disappearing from sight for a space of five or six 

 seconds, or longer, then rising and after floating a few 

 moments on the surface rising laboriously to resume 

 its flight as before. 



The fall of the big white bird from such a height 

 is a magnificent spectacle, and causes the spectator to 

 hold his breath as he watches it with closed wings 

 hurl itself down as if to certain perdition. The tre- 

 mendous shock of the blow on the sea would certainly 

 kill the bird but for the wad of dense elastic plumage 

 which covers and protects it. For it hits itself as 

 hard as it hits the sea, and how hard that is we may 

 know when we watch the gannet drop perpendicularly 

 like a big white stone, and when at a distance of a 

 quarter of a mile we can see the column of water 

 thrown up and distinctly hear the loud splash. Yet 

 no sooner has it hurled itself into the sea than it is 

 out again as if nothing had happened, ready for 

 another fall and blow ! 



One wonders how, when the gannet is flying high, 



