Class II. G A N N E T. 617 



I have in the month of Auguft obferved in Cathnefs 

 their northern migrations : I have feen them pafting 

 the whole day in flocks, from five to fifteen in each :' 

 in calm weather they fly high ; in ftorms they fly 

 low and near the more ; but never crofs over the 

 land, even when a bay with promontories inter- 

 venes, but follow, at an equal diftance, the courfe 

 of the bay, and regularly double every cape. I 

 have feen many of the parties make a fort of halt 

 for the fake of fifliing : they foared to a vafl height, 

 then darting headlong into the fea, made the wa- 

 ter foam and fpring up with the violence of their 

 defcent; after which they purfued their route. I 

 enquired whether they ever were obferved to re- 

 turn fouthward in the fpring, but was anfwered in 

 the negative; fo it appears that they annually en- 

 circle the whole ifland. 



They are well known on mod of our coafts Name, 

 but not by the name of the Soland-Goofe. In Carn- 

 ival and in Ireland they are called Gannets ; by 

 the Weljh Gan. The excellent Mr. Ray fuppofed 

 the Cornijh Gannet to be a fpecies of large Gull ; 

 a very excufeable miftake, for during his fix months 

 refidence in Cornwall he never had an opportunity 

 of feeing that bird, except flying; and in the air 

 it has the appearance of a gull. On that fuppofition 

 he gave our Skua, p. 417. the title of Qatar a5fa y 

 a name borrowed from Ariftotle*^ and which ad- 

 mirably exprefTes the rapid defcent of this bird on 

 * Page 1045. 



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