366 GANNET. 
In the Feroes this species breeds on Myggenes, the most western 
island of the group; while in Iceland it has several colonies. 
Thousands nest on the Magdalen Islands, as well as on some other 
rocks in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and Kumlien says that he saw 
the bird up to 65°N. In winter the Gannet ranges over the Atlantic, 
down to North Africa, the Canaries and Madeira on this side, and 
the Gulf of Mexico on the other; but it seldom enters the Baltic 
or goes far up the Mediterranean, though after stormy weather it 
has occasionally been taken at a considerable distance inland. 
The nest is a mass of sea-weed and grass, on which is deposited a 
single egg ; this (like that of the Cormorant) has a pale blue under- 
shell overlaid with a chalky-white coating, but soon becomes soiled : 
measurements 3°25 by 1’9 in. When unmolested, Gannets are very 
tame during incubation, and will allow themselves to be stroked by 
the hand without any sign of impatience except a low guttural grog, 
grog; but at times they are very vociferous, and as they are con- 
tinually interfering with each other, or taking advantage of the 
absence of their neighbours to pilfer the materials of their nests, a 
constant noise is kept up, which may be syllabled as carra, crac, 
cra. The immense numbers which throng Stack-an-Armin and 
Stack Lii, off Boreray, form a sight never to be forgotten. The 
food consists of surface-swimming fish, such as herrings, pilchards, 
sprats and anchovies, upon which the Gannet plunges perpendicu- 
larly with closed wings from a considerable height ; the birds fish in 
company, and many become entangled at times in the meshes of 
the fishermen’s long sea-nets. In some districts of Scotland the young, 
collected in August, are plucked, cleaned, half-roasted, and sold for 
food, the fat is boiled down, and the feathers are used for stuffing beds. 
The adult has the crown and nape buff-colour ; the rest of the 
plumage white, except the primaries, which are black. In the bird 
of the first year, the under plumage is mottled with dusky-ash and 
buff, while the upper parts are blackish-brown flecked with white ; 
in each successive year the dark markings diminish until the sixth, 
when the adult dress is attained. Length 34 in.; wing 19 in. The 
nestling is at first naked and black, but is afterwards covered with 
down, which is most persistent on the head and hind neck, giving the 
bird the appearance of wearing a long wig. 
A Tropic-bird, Phaethon aethereus, is said to have been found 
dead in Herefordshire more than forty years ago (J. H. Gurney, Tr. 
Norfolk Soc. v. p. 659). 
