AND AMERICAN 
‘¢ The Gannet comes on the coasts of Cornwal in the 
latter end of summer, or beginning of autumn; hovering 
ever the shoals of pilchards that come down to us through 
St. George’s Channel from the northern seas. The Gan- 
net seldom comes near the land, but is constant to its prey, 
a sure sign to the fisherman that the pilchards are on the 
coasts; and when the pilchards retire, generally about the 
end of November, the Gannets are seen no more. The 
bird now sent was killed at Chandour, near Mountsbay, 
Sept. 30, 1762, after a long struggle with a water spaniel, 
assisted by the boatmen; for it was strong and pugnacious. 
The person who took it observed that it had a transparent 
membrane under the eye-lid, with which it covered at 
pleasure the whole eye, without obscuring the sight or 
shutting the eye-lid; a gracious provision fer the security 
of the eyes of so weighty a creature, whose method of 
taking its prey is by darting headlong on it from a height 
of a hundred and fifty feet or more into the water. About 
four years ago, one of these birds flying over Penzance, 
(a thing that rarely happens,) and seeing some pilchards 
lying on a fir-plank, in a cellar used for curing fish, dart- 
ed itself down with such violence, that it struck its bill 
quite through the board, (about an inch and a quarter 
thick,) and broke its neck. 
‘¢ These birds are sometimes taken at sea by a decep- 
tion of the like kind. The fishermen fasten a pilchard to 
a board, and leave it floating; which inviting bait decoys 
the unwary Gannet to its own destruction. 
‘‘In the Chataracta of Fuba may be found many 
characters of this bird: he says, that the bill is toothed: 
that its eyes are fiery; and that its colour is white: and in 
the very name is expressed its furious descent on its prey. 
The rest of his account savours of fable. 
«¢ We are uncertain whether the Gannet breeds.in any 
other parts of Europe besides our own islands; except (as 
Mr. Ray suspects, the Sula, described in Clusius’? Exo- 
ties, which breeds in the Ferroe Isles,) be the same bird. 
In America there are two species of birds of this genus, 
that bear a great resemblance to it in their general form 
and their manner of preying. Mr. Catesby has given 
the figure of the head of one, which he calls the Greater 
Booby; his description suits that of the young Gannet; 
but the angle on the lower mandible made us formerly 
suspect that it was not the same bird; but from some late 
information we have been favoured with, we find it is 
common to both countries, and during summer frequents 
North America. Like the Penguin, it informs naviga- 
tors of the approach of soundings, who on sight of it drop 
the plummet. Linnzus classes our bird with the Pele- 
ean.” 
x 
RURAL SPORTS. 
MEMOIR OF A CELEBRATED SETTER DOG. 
207 
Tuts Dog was purchased in June, 1822, when about 
six months old; at which age, he showed the predominant 
features which distinguished this description of Dogs from 
all others in such a remarkable degree, that from the first 
moment I saw him I did not rest satisfied until he became 
my property; nor was I disappointed. 
In detailing some instances of his remarkable sagacity, 
I will pass over the more common qualities of bottom, a 
good nose, fine ranging, standing and backing, for these 
he possessed equal to any of his contemporaries; but those 
which I will mention may be considered as extra, and 
are not witnessed by many sportsmen. 
In the first place, in windy weather when the birds 
were restless and would run before him, he would trail 
them until he could get the sportsman as nigh as the birds 
would suffer him to approach, and if he still found the 
birds moving off, would instantly, and with great rapidity 
make a half circle to the leeward, and coming up imme- 
diately in front, would bring them to a sudden stop. By 
this finesse he would enable the sportsman to get to a de- 
sirable situation, when nothing else would avail; for birds 
when running from their feeding ground to cover in windy 
weather, are almost certain to rise at too great a distance, 
if the noise which occurs in their wake seems to approach 
them very close; on the contrary, a sudden transit from 
that to almost any other situation will have the effect of 
stopping them; this, the sagacity of this Dog found out, 
and he would invariably practice it whenever the occasion 
offered, yet I never knew him but once to flush a covey, 
and this occurred in miserable cover. It certainly was 
interesting to see the manner and spirit with which he 
controlled the actions of the birds in order to contribute to 
the pleasures of his master. 
I have several times known “¢ Thorn’’* to point a live 
bird with a dead one in hismouth. On one occasion while 
hunting in company with two other gentlemen on the ex- 
tensive farm belonging to S. H.,in Evesham, N. J., I had 
an excellent opportunity to witness this remarkable trait 
in his character. I had just shot a partridge in a small 
copse, and while reloading my empty barrel, missed my 
favourite Dog, but on looking behind me I discovered him 
at a point with the bird in his mouth that I had just shot; 
friend 8. H., who before that day had never seen Dogs 
point game, was so enamoured with it, that he followed 
us nearly the whole day for no other purpose than to see 
the Dogs hunt; and thinking perhaps that he never would 
have another opportunity of seeing a Dog situated as mine 
* This was his name. 
