SULA BASSANA. 
4G3 
The oesophagus is straight, Proventriculus, large and wide, with the glands arranged 
in a very wide, zonular band. Stomach, rather small and not muscular. Coeca, quite 
small. Keel, projected forward and occupies only about one half the length of the ster¬ 
num. Furcula, quite verticle in position. Posterior margin of sternum, deeply indented 
in which are two small scallops. Tail, long and pointed. 
GENUS I. SULA. THE GAN NETS 
Gen. Ch. Similar to those given under Family heading. Sexes, similar. There Sj-e two species within our limits. 
SULA BASSANA. 
Gannet. 
Sula bassana Briss., Orn. 1700. 
DESCRIPTION. 
Sp. Ch. Form, robust. Size, large. Color. Adult. White throughout, becoming buffy-yellow on head and hind 
neck. Primaries and spurious wing, dark-brown. Bill, bluish, iris, bluish-white, feet, brownish lined with greenish-blue, 
and naked space about head, dark-bluish. Young. Dark-brown above, each feather terminating with a triangular patch 
of white. Beneath, ashy-white mottled with dusky. 
OBSERVATIONS. 
Known by the large size, pointed bill, and general white colors. Distributed in summer from the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 
northward; wintering from Florida to the Carolinas. 
DIMENSIONS. 
Average measurements of specimens from North America. Length, 39 25; stretch, 73‘50; wing, 18 50; tail, 9 - 50; bill, 
3 75; tarsus, 213. Longest specimen, 40'50; greatest extent of wing, 75'00; longest wing, 1950; tail, LO'OO; bill, POO; tarsus, 
2 - 25. Shortest specimen, 3800; smallest extent of wing, 72'00; shortest wing, 17*50; tail, 9'00; bill, 3 - 50; tarsus, 2 00. 
DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 
Nests, placed on rocky clifls, composed of sea-weeds. Eggs, one or two in number, oval in form, and greenish-blue 
in color, covered with a calcareous deposit. Dimensions from l - 80 x 3'00 to 2‘ 10 x 3 30. 
HABITS. 
Twelve miles to the northward of the Magdalen group, is a little islet known as Bird 
Rock, while about half a mile to the south-west, is a rather smaller rock, called the Little 
Bird, and a chain of submerged reefs extend between the two. As there is a strong cur¬ 
rent sweeping across this hidden ledge at certain times, the place is considered very dan¬ 
gerous by the rather timid fishermen who sail from the neighboring ports. One day in 
June, 1872, I stood on the northern end of Bryon Island and gazed with longing eyes at 
a little white spot, twelve miles away, which I knew was the celebrated Bird Rock, but 
owing to the disreputable name which these rocks have justly acquired among fishermen, 
it was no.t until several days later, that in company with two friends, I found myself on 
hoard a l ittle schooner, bound for the spot whereon I had fixed my desires. We started ear¬ 
ly in the morning but it was three o’clock in the afternoon before we reached the place, 
for the wind was light. In spite of this, however, there was quite a surf dashing up the 
clifts, which so alarmed our timid captain that he would not allow the schooner to go very 
near, but anchored a quarter of a mile away. 
The fog through which we had hitherto been sailing, scaled olf at this moment, dis¬ 
closing to our gaze one of the grandest sights that we ever beheld, for directly in front of 
us, rose a huge, rocky bastion, the precipitous sides of which were occupied by myriads of 
Awks, Guillemots, and Puffins, thousands of snowy plumaged Gannets floated in air over 
the high clifts, while the water below was thickly dotted with various species. After this 
display, we were exceedingly anxious to land, but our skipper took his time, yet at last, 
we stood on a sandy beach, at the foot of the perfectly perpendicular cliffs which rose a 
hundred and fifty feet over our heads; thus we would have had the utmost difficulty in 
