AMERICAN OBNITHOLOaY. 5 



pert and noisy, hovered near in speechless wonder, and the gray squir- 

 rels came running down the trees, not frightened, only crowded out. 

 Perching themselves on the fences and rocks, they furiously twiched 

 their tails and chattered. No frost or strong blast of wind ever caused 

 the nuts to fly from the burrs as did the busy Grackles; they clattered 

 to the ground like hail. The squirrels, seeing this rushed in and began 

 digging holes, anywhere — everywhere. Carrying the nuts in their 

 mouths they dropped them into the holes and with their fore paws 

 quickly covered them up. As soon as the birds saw what the squirrels 

 were up to, they came down in a body, drove them off, and continued 

 their own feast. 



I noticed that they did not hop about, but walked in a grand dignified 

 manner. For hours they loitered around while people curiously and 

 admiringly studied their manners. I had never before heard such chat- 

 tering, so fast and shrill. It was more like an afternoon tea than any- 

 thing else. I listened hard but could not understand what it was all 

 about. It may have been pure gossip about the queer people they had 

 seen on their travels or possibly they were electing their officers to take 

 charge of the southern flight. Towards evening they spread their rud- 

 der tails by which they seem to steer, and following their leader, flew 

 away. 



GANNET, 



JK.. O. U. No. 117. (Sula bassana.) 



RANGE. 



Found along the coast of the North Atlantic. Breeds from the north- 

 ern border of the United States northwards. South in winter to the 

 Gulf of Mexico. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Length, 36 to 40 in.; extent, about 6 feet; tail 10 in. Bill grayish- 

 blue and about four in. long on the upper part, Eye, white. Feet, 

 gular-sac, and lores, blackish. Entire plumage, white except the prima- 

 ries which are black. The head is more or less washed with yellowish. 



Young — General plumage a dark brown, most of the feathers having 

 a white base thus causing much mottling. 



NEST AND EGGS. 



Gannets breed in great numbers on many of the high rocky islands of 

 the North Atlantic- One of the best known places on the American 

 coast being the Bird Rocks in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where there 

 are thousands of them. They build a large nest of seaweed and in this 

 lay a single egg. This is of a pale greenish-blue color and is thickly 



