388 GANNET CORVORANT. Class II. 



.; The young birds, during the first year, differ 

 greatly in color from the old ones; being of a 

 dusky hue, speckled with numerous triangular 

 white spots ; and at that time resemble in colors 

 the speckled Diver. Each bird, if left undi- 

 sturbed, would only lay one egg in the year ; 

 but if that be taken away, it will lay another ; 

 if that is also taken, then a third; but never 

 more that season. A wise provision of nature, 

 to prevent the extinction of the species by acci- 

 dents, and to supply food for the inhabitants 

 of the places where they breed ; their egg is 

 M'hite, and rather less than that of the common 



Nest. goose : the nest is large, and formed of any 

 thing the bird finds floating on the water, such 

 as grass, sea plants, shavings, &c. These birds 

 frequent the Isle of Ailsa, in the Firth of 

 Clyde; the rocks adjacent to St. Kilda, the • 

 Stack of Souliskef^y, near the Orkneys ; the Ske- 

 lig Isles, off the coast of Kerry, Ireland,^" and 

 the Bass Isle, in the Firth of Edinburgh : 

 the multitudes that inhabit these places are pro- 



: digious. Dr. Harvey's elegant account of the 



* This information we owe to that worthy prelate, the late 

 Dr. Pocock, Bishop of Meath ; who' had visited the Skeligs. 

 Mr. Smith, in his histories of Cork and Kerry, confounds this 

 bird with the Gull described by Mr. Willughly; from whom 

 he has evidently borrowed the whole description. "■■*=' «^'U^ vi«>' 



