SNAKE-BIRD— GANNET 27 



itself is bright red. The mouth and inside of the 

 throat are deep purple. The female is much more 

 soberly coloured, and is a lightish-brown over most of 

 the body. 



When shot at on the wing, the Darter drops im- 

 mediately to the water and dives beneath it, holding 

 to the weeds at the bottom with its bill. If wounded, 

 it will continue to hold on until drowned, and cannot 

 be recovered. Owing to the extreme toughness and 

 solidity of its muscles, the Darter is very difficult to 

 kill. If startled when swimming on the surface of 

 the water, it quickly dives beneath, and swims with 

 only the tip of the head and bill projecting. 



The eggs of both Darters and Cormorants are cov- 

 ered with a thin layer of chalk, which may be scraped 

 away, revealing a shell of a very delicate greenish-blue 

 colour. 



The Common Gannet, also knoAvn as the Solan 

 Goose, is found along the Atlantic coasts of America 

 and Europe. During the breeding season they con- 

 gregate in large numbers on rocky ledges, and, al- 

 though strong flyers, they are never found far from 

 land. Though closely related to the Cormorants and 

 Darters, they differ from them, not only in shape and 

 colouration, but in their method of fishing. Their 

 prey is captured, not by pursuit under water, but by 

 pouncing upon it from a great height in the air. 



The adult bird in both sexes is pure white, except 

 for the primaries, which are black, and a light buflF 

 tinge over the head and neck. The young birds are 

 a blackish ash colour, flecked with white, but, year by 



