a {iripe of fine pea-green ; and the tail is compofed 
of twelve flaarp-pointed feathers, the middlemoft 
beins the lon2;eft. 
During their firit year, thefe birds are of a duflcy 
hue,, fpeckled with numerous triangular white 
ipots ; and their colour ftrongly refembles that of 
the fpeckled diver. 
Each Gannet, if not difturbed, will lay only one 
egg throughout the year; but if that be taken 
away, it will lay another, and then a third: a wife 
provifion of nature to prevent the extinftion of the 
fpecies by accidents, and to fupply the inhabitants 
of thofe places where they breed with food. The 
egg is white, and fmailer than that of the common 
goofe ; but the neft is large, and compofed of grafs, 
fea-plants, or any other fabfS:ances which tli,e Gan- 
net finds floating on the water. 
As thefe birds fubfift entirely on fifh, they fre- 
queiic thofe uninhabited iflands v\^here their food 
is found in plenty, and where they are undifturbed 
by the human race. The ifleof Ailfi, in the firth 
of Clyde; the rocks adjacent to St. Kilda, a fmali 
ifland near the Oi-kneys; the Shelig iflands, off 
the coaft of Kerry in Ireland; and the Eafs ifle in 
the firth of Forth; fxm to be their favourite re- 
forts: but in the laft-mentioned ifland they are 
feen in the greatefl: abundance. ' There is a fmall 
ifland,' fays Dr. Harvey, called the Bafs, not 
more than a mile in circumference. The furface 
is almofl: wholly covered, during the months of 
May and June, witii their nefls, their eggs, and 
their young : it is fcarcely pofiible to walk with- 
out treading on them. The flocks of birds on the 
wing are fo numerous, as to darken the air like a 
cloud ; and their noife is liich, that one cannot be 
heard without difiiculty by the perfon next to him. 
When one looks down on the fea from the preci- 
pice, it's whole iurface feems covered with infinite 
numbers of birds of different kinds, fwimming 
and piirfding their prey. If, in failing round the 
ifland, one furveys it's hanging cliffs, in every crag 
and fiffure of the broken rocks mav be feen innu- 
merable birds, of various forts and fizes, more than 
the ffars of heaven when viewed in a ferene night. 
If L"hey are viewed at a diffance, either receding or 
in the approach to the ifland, they feem like one 
vafc fwarm of bees.' 
Nor are thefe fowls lefs frequent on the rocks of 
St. Kilda. Martin affures us, that the inhabitants 
of that fmall ifland annually confume near twenty- 
three thoufand voung birds of this fpecies, befides 
an amazing quantity of their eggs: on thefe they 
principally fubfill throughout the year; and, from 
the number of thefe vifitants, make an eftimate of 
their plenty for the feafon. They preferve both 
the eggs and the fowls in fmali pyramidal ftone 
buildings, covering them with turf-afli'^s, to pre- 
vent the evaporation of their moiPcure. This, 
however, is dear-bought food, being earned at the 
hazard of their lives, either by climbing the moft 
difiiculr and narrov/ paths, where, to appearance, 
they can fcarcely cling, and that too at an amazing 
height over the raging fea ; or elfe, being lowered 
down from above, they colle6l their annual provi- 
fion hanging in the midway air, placing their fole 
dependence for fafety on the uncertain footing of 
one perfon, who holds the rope by which they are 
fufpended at the top of the precipice. The young 
of thefe birds conftitute a favourite difli of the 
Scotch in general; and at Edinburgh they are fold 
at one fliilling and eight-pence each, roaflied, and 
ferved up as a whet, a little before dinner. 
The Gannet is a bird of pafilige. It's firfl: ap- 
pearance in thofe iflands is about the month of 
March; and it quits them either in Auguft: or 
September, according as the inhabitants take or 
leave it's firfl: eggs. It's motions may generally 
be determined by the migrations of the imm.enfe 
fnoals of herrings which at that feafon pour down 
through the Britifli Channel, and fupply all Eu- 
rope. The Gannet affiduoufly attends the flioals 
in their paflage, accompanies them in their whole 
circuit round our ifland, and fliares.v/ith our fifli- 
ermen in this exhaufl:lefs banquet. Whereva- this 
fowl is feen, it is fure to announce the arrival of 
the finny tribe to the fifnermen, who immediately 
prepare their nets, and take the herrings by mil- 
lions at a draught. 
The Gannet migrates as far fouth as the iTiOutb. 
of the Tagus in queft of food, being frequently 
feen off Lifl.oon during the month of December, 
plunging for fardin^, fifiies refembling (if noE 
adually the fame with) pilchards. 
* I have obferved, in Caithnefs,' faj-s Pennant^ 
' their northern migrations in the month of Au- 
guft:, and have feen them pafling the whole day, in 
flocks fi-om five to fiffteen in each : in calm wea- 
ther, they fiy high ; in fl:orins, they fly low, and 
near the fl;iore; but never crofs over the land, even 
when a bay v/ith promontories intervenes, but fol- 
low at an equal diftance the courfe of the ba}^, and 
regularly double every cape. I have feen many 
of the parties make a fort of halt for the fake of 
fiflning: they foared to a vafl: height; then darting 
headlong into the fea, m.ade the vv'ater foam and 
Ipring up with the violence of their defcent; after 
which they purfued their route. I enquired,' 
continues he, whether they were ever obferved to 
return fouthward in the fpring, but was anfvv'ered 
in the negative; fo it appears that they annually 
encircle the whole ifland.' 
Thefe birds are v/ell known on mofl; parts of 
our coafts. In Cornwall, and Ireland, they are 
called Gannets; and, by the Welfli, Gan. Ray 
fuppofed the Cornifli Gannet to be a fpecies of 
large gull; being led into tliat miflake by con- 
ftantly feeing the bird on the wing, v/hen in rea- 
lity It has the appearance of the gull. 
Whether the Gannet breeds in any other parts 
of Europe except cur own iflands, is a queftion as 
yet undetermined. In America there , are two 
fpecies of birds belonging to this genus, which 
greatiy refemble the common Gannet in their ge- 
neral conformation and manner of catching their 
prey. 
The Gannet, with refpeft to quicknefs of fight, 
feems to exceed even the cormorant. It is pof- 
feffed of a tranfparent membrane under the eye- 
lid, with vv'hich it covers the whole eye at plea- 
furc, v/itliout obfcuring the fight in the fmialleft 
degree; and this feems a neceffary provifion for 
the fecurity of the eyes of fo v/eighty a creature, 
whofe method of preying, like that of the cormo- 
rant, is by darting headlong into the water, from 
a height of one hundred feet or more, in order to 
feize it's prey. 
This bird is fometimes taken at fea by fafl:ening 
a pilchard to a board, which is left floating. The 
Gannet infl;anrly defcends on the wood, and IS ei- 
ther killed or maimed by the fliock of a body 
from which it expefted no renfliance. A bird of 
this kind, we are informed, flying over Penzance, 
in Cornwall, a few years ago, and feeing fome pil- 
chards lying on a fir plank in a cellar ufed for cur- 
