SULIDiE — THE GANNETS — SULA. 



173 



The Soland Goose, or Gannet, is a bird peculiar to the Northern Atlantic Ocean, 

 and is found botli on its eastern and western shores, ranging in America as far south 

 us tliti New England States, and in Europe to the coasts of Great Britain. Farther 

 sdutli than this its ajjpearance is comparatively rare. This is a northern species, and 

 is more or less resident wherever it is found. 



The Gannet is generally given as a resident of Greenland ; but Professor Reinhardt 

 states that it is very rare there, and only accidental. It is common in winter off the 

 coiust of Maine, and formerly bred on Gannet Ilock, near Grand JFenan. From time 

 to time specimens are obtained on the coast of Massachusetts ; but this is not of fre- 

 (luciit occurrence, and examples thus seen are usually immature birds. Its appear- 

 ance in the bays and inlets of Long Island is so very rare that, according to (Jiraud, 

 it is not generally known to the hunters ; but he received a tine specimen that had 

 liiMMi shot on the Soutli liay, opposite Heliport, and he had also known of several 

 otliiMs iKiing procured in the vicinity of New York. Audubon has observed the 

 (Jannet as far south as the Gulf of Mexico. 



On tlie ()pi)osite side of the Atlantic, Mr. H. Saxinders met with this species in con- 

 siilcnilth! numbers, fishing off Cape Trafalgar, in December; and Y'arrell mentions its 

 appearance at Madeira, and even as far south as Southern Africa. 



Dr. HolxTt O. ('unningham, in the " Ibis" of January, 18G6, gives a very complete 

 acidunt of the history, distribution, and habits of this species, as gathered from the 

 aeeounts given by the earlier writers, whose works date as far back even as the year 

 \)7'> A. i>. Tlie name of Gannet is an Old English one (Anglo-Saxon, ganot ; Old 

 i;iij,'lisli, giiute) ; but the origin of the word Soland cannot be satisfactorily made out. 

 There was formerly an idea prevalent that this bird had the habit of hatching out 

 its egg by covering this with its feet; and by some the name is associated with tliis 

 lielief. The Ganiu't appears to be widely distributed throughout the North Atlantic, 

 oil tlie western shores of Euro[)e, and in the eastern waters of North Am<>rica. Its 

 lireediiig-ltlaces are not numerous; but in those the birds collect in immense num- 

 Ihms. In the waters of Great liritain and Ireland some of them continue througho\it 

 the year; and the same i.-> probably true in regard to the mouth of the St. Lawrence 

 Ifiver. There are but six places known in the British waters where this species 

 lueeds, but it is also numerous in various portions wliere it has never l)een known 

 to l)reed. It also breeds in the Fariie Islands and in islands on the coast of Iceland. 

 It iiigrates to the shores of Holland, Fr.inee, Spain, Portugal, the Med.terranean, and 

 .Miideira. In America it has but few breeding-places, is common on the coast, and 

 thoiigli found as far nortl) as Greenland, is not known to breed there. 



One of the most celeb -ated lueeding-places of the (Tannet is the Pass Kock, at the 

 mouth of tlie Firth of Firth, near the old town of North Perwick. This island is a 

 hu;,'e mass t)f greenstone traj), over four hundred feet in lieight, and with sides mostly 

 hold and i)erpeiidicular. It has on the southeast its only landing-place. Jlria; Gulls, 

 Cormorants, llazor-bills, and Putlins brtied on this rock, in common with the Gannet. 

 The latter are met with in great numbers on all the several faces of the rotik, and 

 even in the inuneiliate neighborhood of the landing-place. Macgillivray, who vis- 

 ited this rock in 18.'11, estinuited the number of'.SWrr at about twenty thousand; 

 and Dr. Cunningham, whose visit was made in 1802, estimated their number tlien at 

 alxiut the same. These birds nuike tiieir ai)pearance at the island from the middle 

 of rdiruary to the first of March, and take their departure in October, though a few 

 remain there all winter. 



The earlier writers speak of the nests of i\w Gannet as being made of sticks ; but 

 nil now agree that at present no otlier materials are used in their construction than 



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