218 
THE BOOBY GANNET. 
is harsh and guttural, somewhat like that of a strangled pig, and resembling 
the syllables horlc, horlc. 
The nest of' the Booby is placed on the top of a bush at a height of from 
four to ten feet. It is large and flat, formed of a few dry sticks, covered and 
matted with sea-weeds in great quantity. I have no doubt that they return 
to the same nest many years in succession, and repair it as occasion requires. 
In all the nests which I examined, only one egg was found, and as most of 
the birds were sitting, and some of the eggs had the chick nearly ready for 
exclusion, it is probable that these birds raise only a single young one, like 
the Common Gannet or Solan Goose. The egg is of a dull white colour, 
without spots, and about the size of that of a common hen, but more elon- 
gated, being 2f inches in length, with a diameter of 11. In some nests they 
were covered with filth from the parent bird, in the manner of the Florida 
Cormorant. The young, which had an uncouth appearance, were covered 
with down ; the bill and feet of a deep livid blue or indigo colour. On 
being touched, they emitted no cry, but turned away their heads at every 
trial. A great quantity of fish lay beneath the trees in a state of putrefac- 
tion, proving how abundantly the young birds were supplied by their 
parents. Indeed, while we were on Noddy Island, there was a constant 
succession of birds coming in from the sea with food for their young, con- 
sisting chiefly of flying-fish and small mullets, which they disgorged in a 
half macerated state into the open throats of their offspring. Unfortunately 
the time afforded me on that coast was not sufficient to enable me to trace 
the progress of their growth. I observed, however, that none of the birds 
which were still brown had nests, and that they roosted apart, particularly 
on Booby Island, where also many barren ones usually resorted, to lie on 
the sand and bask in the sun. 
The flight of the Booby is graceful and extremely protracted. They pass 
swiftly at a height of from twenty yards to a foot or two from the surface, 
often following the troughs of the waves to a considerable distance, their 
wings extended at right angles to the body ; then, without any apparent 
effort, raising themselves and allowing the rolling waters to break beneath 
them, when they tack about, and sweep along in a contrary direction in 
search of food, much in the manner of the true Petrels. Now, if you follow 
an individual, you see that it suddenly stops short, plunges headlong into the 
water, pierces with its powerful beak and secures a fish, emerges again with 
inconceivable ease, after a short interval rises on wing, performs a few wide 
circlings, and makes off toward some shore. At this time its flight is dif- 
ferent, being performed by flappings for twenty or thirty paces, with alter- 
nate sailings of more than dcuble that space. When overloaded with food, 
