60 
surrounded by a circle of wet sea-weed, 
which is continually replenished by the 
male as it becomes dry. — I had been told, 
but doubted the fact, that during the time 
of incubation the female holds the egg in 
her foot; this I found to be the case." 
The Gannets are birds of passage. Their 
first appearance in the islands before men- 
tioned is in the month of March,^their conti- 
nuance to the latter part of August or 
September; but they are ocoasionally found 
in the English Channel during the winter. 
Pennant observes that " the time of 
breeding, and that of their departure^ 
seems to coincide with the arrival of the 
Herring, and the migration of that fish 
(which is their principal food) out of those 
seas. It is probable that these birds attend 
the herring and pilchard during their 
whole circuit round the British Islands ; the 
appearance of the former being always 
/ esteemed by the fishermen as a sure presage 
of the approach of the latter." The same 
author observes " I have in the month of 
August observed in Caithness their northern 
migrations: I have seen them passing the 
whole day in flocks, from five to fifteen in 
each : in calm weather they fly high ; in 
