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P E L E C A N U S. 
bable, as they are likewife Teen, in the month of Decem¬ 
ber, as far fouth as the coafl of Lilbon and Gibraltar, 
plunging for fardines, a fpecies of pilchard. The gannet 
is alio common on the coalls of Norway and thofeof Ice¬ 
land, and now and then are met with on the fouthern 
coafls of Greenland. In America, they are found on the 
coafls of Newfoundland, where they breed, migrating in 
winter as far as Carolina. They were alfo met with fre¬ 
quently by our feveral voyagers in many parts of the 
fouthern ocean. Their nell is compofed of grafs and fea- 
plants, intermixed with any thing the bird finds floating 
on the w’ater. It lays only one egg, which is white, ra¬ 
ther lefs than that of a goofe; if this egg be taken away, 
the bird will lay a fecond; and, fliould this be taken alfo, 
a third ; but, on the lofs of the third, it can furnifli no 
more that feafon. They place their nefl in the clefts of 
the rock, and the common people believe that they per¬ 
form the office of incubation Handing on one foot, a no¬ 
tion fuggefted probably by the breadth of its foie. 
Hence, it is alleged, they received the name of jnle-an- 
geefe; but Martin informs us, that this word is of Irifli 
or Erfe derivation, and fignifies quick-fighted ; tliefe 
birds being noted for the bright luftre of their eyes. The 
foot, however, is widely palmated, and the middle and 
outer toes are each near four inches long, and all the four 
are ccnnefted by an entire piece of membrane. 
Though large and heavy, they are very dexterous fill¬ 
ers ; they delcend from a vail height, and plunge many 
fathoms under water. It is in Scotland that they are ufu- 
ally called J'olan geeJ'e, in Cornwall and Ireland gannets, 
and in Wales gun. The inhabitants of St. Kilda, we are 
affiured by Martin, take above twenty thoufand of the 
young birds annually, befides a prodigious number of 
eggs. Thefe fpoils are the chief fubfiflence of thefe hardy 
iflanders, and they (tore up their provifions in pyramidal 
Hone buildings, covering them over with peat-affies. 
It is very curious to obferve, that in thefe birds the Ikin 
does not adhere to the body; it is ccnnefted to it only 
by fmall bundles of fibres placed at equal diftances, fuch 
as one or turn inches, and capable of being extended as 
much; fo that the Ikin may be drawn out like a mem¬ 
brane, and inflated like a bladder. The following are 
the remarks of Mr. Montagu upon this Angular confor¬ 
mation. “ If a duck or a goofe be attended to when the 
ufual cry is emitted, it will be evident, that the preffure 
of the abdomen propels the air which is therein contained 
with much force into the anterior part of the body, which, 
with what is there already, not being able to efcape 
through the trachea, not only inflates the cellular mem¬ 
brane about the bread to an unufual fize, but, by com- 
preffion, ruflies with violence through the larynx, and 
produces a found more or lefs intenle, in proportion as 
the mufcles are more or lefs exerted. Although this 
contrivance is fo abfolutely neceflary to the exiflence of 
every fpecies of bird, it is not immediately obvious for 
what particular purpofe the property of inflation is fo 
much further extended than ufual in the gannet. We 
fliould not expect to find this power of inflating the Ikin 
peculiar to thofe who obtain their fubfiftence by diving, 
becaufe, in the add of immerfion, fuch power could not be 
exerted without obflrudling that operation ; and it is ob¬ 
vious, that the air contained within the cavity of the 
body is fufficient for all the ordinary purpofes of feeking 
their prey under water. It will not be unreal'onable, 
therefore, to conclude, that the gannet is endowed with 
fuch Angular properties for very different purpofes than 
that of long and continual immerfion. It cannot be 
doubted, but fuch a power of inflation mud contribute 
greatly to leflen the concuffion in its rapid defcent upon 
the water, in order to feize its prey : beiides, as the en¬ 
largement of the l'urface, without materially adding to 
the fpecific gravity, mud greatly contribute to its buoy¬ 
ancy both in air and water, it is well adapted for refiding 
ia the midd of the mod tempeduous fea, floating on its 
furface in perfeft fecurity, and following thofe flioals of 
fiflt on which depends its whole exiflence : thus, when 
all others are compelled to feek ftielterin bays and creeks, 
the gannet is enabled to brave the fevered weather in all 
feafons, w'ithout attempting to near the fliore. This 
contrivance may alfo be of the mod important fervice to 
an animal which is condantly expofed, even in the mod 
inclement feafon, and cannot quit its flation without 
darving: nothing could poffibly conduce more to its fe¬ 
curity againfl intenfe cold, or be better adapted to pre- 
ferve the neceflary temperature of animal heat, than this 
intermediate body of air between the fkin and the body, 
fince that element is found to be a non-conduftor of 
heat. Upon this principle, what animal can be more fe- 
curely protefted againd cold, or retain its vital heat fo ef- 
feftually, as the gannet, or fuch birds as are almofl fur- 
rounded with a body of confined air, divided by cells, and 
interfefted by membranes between the flcin and the body, 
and that flcin fo amply covered with a light porous fub- 
fiance, filled alfo with air, and impervious to water ?” An 
account, by the fame gentleman, of a non-defcript infeft 
which infelts the cellular membrane of this bird, will be 
found under the word Cellularia, vol. iv. See alfo 
Mem. of the Wernerian Society, vol. i. 
Sula major, the great booby : brown fpotted with 
white, beneath white ; orbits naked, blackiffi. This is 
about the fize of a goofe, but the tail is longer ; the bill a 
little more than five inches long, and of a grey brown; 
irides hazel, legs black. It inhabits the fhores of Flo¬ 
rida, where it is frequent. 
43. Pelecanus pifcator, the little gannet: body whififli, 
face red ; tail wedged, all the quill-feathers black. Size 
of the Mufcovy duck : length two feet feven inches ; bill 
five inches long. Throat naked, duflcy black, the fcapu- 
lar feathers are alfo black at the ends. The tail confids 
of fourteen feathers ; the bafe white, but black the red of 
their length : the legs red; the middle claw broad and 
ferrated. This fpecies is faid to inhabit China, where it 
is called bubbi; and is fuppofed to be one of the forts 
ufed by the Chinefe to catch fiffi, a ring being placed 
round the neck. Some birds have thofe parts of a deep 
brown which in others are black. 
( 2 . The lead gannet. Size of a duck: length twenty 
inches. Bill flraight, as in the common gannet, and 
fliaped like it. Colour reddiffi brown, with a dufky or 
black point; the bafe, and fkin round the eye, cfa deep 
red. The plumage is wholly white, except the wings, 
fcapulars, and middle of the back, which are dufky, and 
the quills black: the tail is even at the end : legs blood- 
red. This bird was in the Leverian Mufeurri; and Dr. 
Latham fuppofes it to be a variety of this fpecies. It dif¬ 
fers chiefly in being fmaller, and in having the taiNfea- 
thers white throughout, which in the other are only 
white at the bafe, the red of the length being black. 
39. Pelecanus fula, the booby: body whitiffi, quill- 
feathers tipt with black ; tail wedged. In every organized 
being, inflinft difplays itfelf by a chain of confident ha¬ 
bits, which all tend to its prefervation ; and this internal 
fenfe direfts them to fliun what is hurtful, and to feek 
what may contribute to the fupport, and even the enjoy¬ 
ment, of life. Thefe birds, however, feem to have re¬ 
ceived from nature only half that faculty : armed with a 
firm bill, provided with long wings, and with feet com¬ 
pletely and broadly palmated, they are fitted to exercife 
their powers both in the air and in the water; they are 
invited to aft and to live; yet they feem ignorant what 
exertions they fliould make, or what precautions they 
fliould obferve, to efcape that death which perpetually 
awaits them. Though diffufed from one end of the 
world to the other, from the feas of the north to thofe of 
the fouth, they have no-where learnt t;o diflinguifli their 
mod dangerous enemy: the fight of man does not inti¬ 
midate or difcompofe them. They fuffer themfelves to 
be taken, not only at fea on the ffiips’ yards, but alfo at 
land on the iflets and coafls, where they may be felled by 
blows with a dick, in great numbers, one after another. 
