338 
YERTEBRATA. 
THE SOLAND GOOSE. 
face of the sea, and plunging suddenly down upon any that come within sight. They are constant 
attendants upon the shoals of herrings and pilchards, and, by their movements, often give the fisher- 
men notice of the approacli of these fishes, and of the direction in which they are proceeding. 
They form a nest with grass and sea-weeds upon the rocks, and lay a single egg. The young birds 
are taken in considerable numbers in England and Scotland, and sold for food. The average num- 
ber taken annually from the Bass Rock — at the mouth, of the Fritb of Forth, in the northeast of 
Scotland — is from fifteen to sixteen hundred, and these are sold at from eighteen to forty cents 
each. The general color is white ; the young birds are covered with a beautiful white down,Avhich 
is said to be quite equal to swans' down for the manufacture of tippets, &c. The adult Gannets 
attain a length of more than three feet, but they are not used for food, and their capture is under- 
taken solely for the sake of the feathers. They are frequently caught by laying a lierring upon a 
board, and dragging this along behind a boat ; the Gannets, seeing the fish, plunge down upon 
it, and either break their necks by the shock, or strike their bills fairly through the board. This 
species is also found on the Atlantic coast of North America. It is sometimes called the Booby, 
from the ease with which it may be approached, and even captured, wben sitting. The French 
call it Fou and Boubie. Another species called the Booby Gannet, 8. fiber, is found in the 
South Atlantic and along the Gulf coast of the United States. 
Genus TACHYPETES : Tachypeies, — Among the most remarkable birds of this family is the 
Frigate-Bird, Man-op- War-Bird, or Frigate-Pelican, T. aquilus, noted for its extraordinary 
powers of flight. The tail is long and forked ; the feet small, the webs deeply notched ; the whole 
length three feet; the eggs one or two. The Avings are narrow and of immense length, having 
an expanse of from ten to twelve feet. These birds not only shoot through the air Avith great 
velocity, but fly to an immense distance from the land. They are very abundant on the coasts of 
tropical America, where they may be seen sailing along at a considerable height above the surface 
of the waves, and occasionally darting down with the rapidity of lightning upon any fish that 
