3i5 
GANNET WITH ABNORMAL EYES. 
R. FORTUNE, F.Z.S. 
(PLATE XXV.). 
While on the Bass on August 3rd, .my attention was drawn 
to a Gannet with abnormal eyes. The pupil was very much 
larger than usual, and as far as I could tell, of an intense 
black, surrounded by a narrow ring of pale blue. 
The bird, despite the fact that she had a young one, was 
unusually shy, and although she frequently alighted near her 
offspring, she was off again at once. The day was unfortu- 
nately a dull one, with occasional showers and a very high 
wind, making photography with a stand camera a somewhat 
difficult task ; otherwise better photographs might have been 
obtained ; nevertheless I think those reproduced will fully 
illustrate the remarkable feature referred to. Any variations 
from the normal in the Gannet family are very rare. 
When a south-west wind is blowing, clouds of Gannets are 
continually flying along the front of the great west cliffs, in 
face of it, until they come to the corner where the full blast 
of the wind is felt, they then wheel round and return, to again 
fly up in face of the wind. This is one of the most wonderful 
sights in bird life. It is extremely fascinating to be perched 
on the cliff top watching the marvellous procession of huge 
birds, with their wing spread of six feet or over. It seems to 
me that the birds treat the matter as a sort of sport, to show 
how little they care about the wind, no matter how strongly 
it blows. The command of the air, which they have, is reall\ r 
marvellous. I have watched them sail up in the teeth of the 
wind without any apparent movement of the wings, then 
allow the wind to get underneath and drift them back again 
without any effort of their own. I have seen birds poise 
themselves in mid-air, bring their foot forward and scratch 
their heads. Now and then one sees a bird give a pull at 
another’s tail. It is wonderful how in the midst of these thou- 
sands, collisions are so seldom seen. On this day a bird of 
last year dashed into an old stager. The shock did not affect 
the older bird, but the young one dropped down at bit, evi- 
dently somewhat dazed. He however, soon recovered, and 
sailed away as if nothing had happened. 
In the continuous stream of birds flying past, hundreds 
came so close, that it would have been an easy matter to have 
knocked them down with a stick. It was easy to follow 
our bird, whom we christened ‘ Black-eyed Susan,’ amongst- 
the numbers in the air, her eyes were so very conspicuous. 
In the pictures one noticeable feature is illustrated. In 
a photograph, the normal eye of a Gannet frequently has a 
1914 Oct. 1. 
