VOL XV.] VAKIETIES OF COMMON GANNET. 83 



Mr. Gurney {TJie Gannel, p. 487) says that no instances of 

 complete alb nism in Gannets are recorded, though a few- 

 cases of partial albinism in young birds have been noted. 

 Hence, the example which I am quoting may be worth calling 

 attention to, as a possibly unique occurrence. I could not 

 ascertain whether this bird was nesting or not, as it was 

 only seen upon the wing and was not identified on any of 

 the nesting-sites. 



The other sport to which I wish to refer is a Gannet which 

 has been known since 1914, when my son, Mr. Lewis Balfour, 

 and some of the lighthouse-keepers first noted the bird. 

 Mr. Andrew White, lighthouse-keeper, sent a brief note 

 about it to the Scottish Naturalist (1920, p. 197), under the 

 heading " Gannet with black eyes." " Black-eyed Susan," 

 as " she " is now familiarly dubbed (though it is impossible 

 to determine " her " sex with certainty), is now well known 

 to many as a peculiar and annually welcome visitor to the 

 Rock, and has been photographed many times (by my son 

 in 1914, and by Mr. White and Mr. Alexander Scott in 1920 

 and 1921). The nickname is appropriate, since black eyes 

 are " her " speciality. That is to say. they appear to be 



uniformly black even at a very short distance, say, a yard 

 or two away. 



This year I determined to examine the eyes closely, and 

 I was able to do so under a strong magnifier, the bird having 

 been caught for the purpose. With the bird in my hand 

 I could see that the eyes, with the exception, of course, of 

 the pupils, are not black but very dark, slightly greyish-brown 

 (somewhat the colour of strong coffee with a very slight 

 dash of milk). The irides are deeply' pigmented all over, 

 instead of being of the very pale vitreous hue, recalling 

 mother-o '-pearl, which characterizes the irides of the normal 

 adult Gannet. Both eyes are pigmented alike. The effect 

 is very striking and renders this unique bird conspicuous 

 among " her " neighbours on the nesting -cliffs. As compared 

 with the cold, hard, staring eye of the ordinary Gannet, 

 the dark eye gives a mild, almost, benevolent appearance 



