BOOBY GANNET. 65 



young, which had an uncouth appearance, were covered with down ; the 

 bill and feet of a deep livid blue or indigo colour. On being touched, 

 they emitted no cry, but turned away their heads at every trial. A great 

 quantity of fish lay beneath the trees in a state of putrefaction, proving 

 how abundantly the young birds were suppUed by their parents. Indeed, 

 while we were on Noddy Island, there was a constant succession of birds 

 coming in from the sea with food for their young, consisting chiefly of 

 flying-fish and small mullets, which they disgorged in a half macerated 

 state into the open throats of their offspring. Unfortunately the time 

 afforded me on that coast was not sufficient to enable me to trace the pro- 

 gress of their growth. I observed, however, that none of the birds which 

 were still brown had nests, and that they roosted apart, particularly on 

 Booby Island, where also many barren ones usually resorted, to lie on the 

 sand and bask in the sun. 



The flight of the Booby is graceful and extremely protracted. They 

 pass swiftly at a height of from twenty yards to a foot or two from the 

 surface, often following the troughs of the waves to a considerable distance, 

 their wings extended at right angles to the body ; then, without any ap- 

 parent effort, raising themselves and allowing the rolling waters to break 

 beneath them, when they tack about, and sweep along in a contrary 

 direction in search of food, much in the manner of the true Petrels. 

 Now, if you follow an individual, you see that it suddenly stops short, 

 plunges headlong into the water, pierces with its powerful beak and se- 

 cures a fish, emerges again with inconceivable ease, after a short interval 

 rises on wing, performs a few wide circlings, and makes off^ toward some 

 shore. At this time its flight is different, being performed by flappings 

 for twenty or thirty paces, with alternate saihngs of more than double 

 that space. When overloaded with food, they alight on the water, where, 

 if undisturbed, they appear to remain for hours at a time, probably until 

 digestion has afforded them relief. 



The range to which this species confines itself along our coast, seldom 

 extends beyond Cape Hatteras to the eastward, but they become more and 

 more numerous the farther south we proceed. They breed abundantly 

 on all such islands or keys as are adapted for the purpose, on the southern 

 and western coasts of the Floridas and in the Gulf of Mexico, where I 

 was told they breed on the sand-bars. Their power of wing seems suffi- 

 cient to enable them to brave the tempest, while during a continuance of 



VOL. m. . ■ E 



