“When sitting, the Gannets usually allow a person to approach within three feet, sometimes much nearer, so that one may even touch them. When one approaches them, they merely open their bill, and utter their usual cry, or they rise and express some degree of resentment, but seem to have very little apprehension of danger. They take advantage of the absence of their neighbours to pilfer the materials of their nests, frequently two join in this act, and occasionally two may be seen tugging at the same bunch, endeavouring to wrest it from each other. They are constantly repairing their nests, which being composed in a great measure of sea-weeds, shrink up in dry weather, and decompose in wet; and when seated close together they have frequent quarrels. I saw one seize its neighbour by the back of the neck, until the latter, I may say, roared out; but in general, they are satisfied with menacing each other with open bills and loud clamour. In leaving the nest, they generally scatter about a quantity of the materials of which it is composed, for they are extremely awkward in their motions when on the ground, hobbling and limping along, aiding themselves with their wings, and draggling the abdominal feathers and tail.
“In launching from the cliffs, they frequently utter a single plaintive cry, perform a curve, having its concavity upwards, then shake the tail, frequently the whole plumage, draw the feet backwards, placing them close under the tail, on each side, and cover them with the feathers. In some the feet were entirely covered, while in others parts of the toes were apparent. In flying, the body, tail, neck, and bill, are nearly in a straight line, the wings extended and never brought close to the body, and they move by regular flappings, alternating with short sailings. In alighting, they generally ascend in a long curve, keeping their feet spread, and come down rather heavily, often finding it difficult to balance themselves, and sometimes, when the place is very steep, or when another bird attacks them, flying off, to try it a second time. On the rocks they stand with the body nearly horizontal, or they lie on their belly, although some may be seen in an oblique or even nearly erect posture. They usually repose with the head resting between the shoulders, the bill concealed among the feathers of the back. I caught one in that state, by walking up to it, and seizing it by the tail and the tips of the wings, which cross each other over it.
“Owing to their interference with each other, a constant noise is kept up amongst them. Their cry is hoarse and harsh, and may be expressed by the syllables carra, carra, carra, or kirra, kirra, kirra, or crac, crac, crac. The cry varies considerably in different individuals, some having a sharper voice than others, and when unusually irritated they repeat it with great rapidity. An ornithological writer thinks they cry grog, grog; but neither Mr Audubon nor myself interpreted their notes so, otherwise we could have satisfied a few at least, as we had a bottle of whisky and a keg of water.
“The young are at first covered with very beautiful close snow-white down; at the age of about six weeks the feathers make their appearance among the down; when two months old the birds are pretty well fledged, and at the end of three months they are able to fly. The old bird at first feeds the young with a kind of fish-soup prepared in its gullet and stomach, and which it introduces drop by drop as it were into its throat. But when its nursling is pretty well grown, it places its bill within its mouth, and disgorges the fish either entire or in fragments. They never carry fish to the rock in their bills. The smallest number of young killed in a year is a thousand, the greatest two thousand; but in general the number is fifteen or sixteen hundred. After being plucked, they are sold at from sixpence to a shilling each. The price of a young bird for stuffing is two shillings; of an old bird five, of an egg one. For the information contained in this paragraph I am indebted to the keeper.
“At the period of my second visit with Mr Audubon (the 19th August 1835), the nests in most places had almost entirely disappeared, for it is only during incubation that the birds keep them in constant repair. The young were in various stages, a few quite small and covered all over with white down, the greater number partially fledged, with the down remaining on the head and neck, and some nearly ready to fly, and having merely a few tufts of down on the hind neck. The young lay flat, either on the remnants of their nest, or on the bare rock or ground. They are very patient and uncomplaining; in fact, none uttered a single cry while we were inspecting them. I observed an old bird, with its own young beside it, squeeze the neck of another youngling with considerable force The poor bird bore the persecution with perfect resignation, and merely cowered under the bill of the tyrant. The young of the latter also attacked its neighbour, but was instantly checked, on which it meekly desisted. One of the men informed me that last year there were fourteen nests, each with two eggs. In such cases, one of the young is said to be much smaller than the other.”
Pelecanus bassanus, Linn. Nat. vol. i. p. 217.—Lath. Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 891.
Sula bassana, Ch. Bonaparte, Synopsis of Birds of United States, p. 408.
Gannet, Nuttall, Manual, vol. ii. p. 495.
Adult Male. Plate CCCXXVI. Fig. 1.
Bill longer than the head, opening beyond the eyes, straight, elongated-conical, moderately compressed. Upper mandible with the dorsal line straight and declinate, at the end convex and a little decurved; ridge very broad, convex, with a slight median carina, and separated on each side, from the sides, which are nearly perpendicular, slightly convex, and have an additional narrow jointed piece below the eye; edges sharp, direct, irregularly serrate, with numerous slender cuts directed backwards; tip compressed, a little decurved, rather acute. No external nostrils. Lower mandible with the angle very long and narrow, the dorsal line straight, ascending, the sides erect, convex, the edges sharp and serrated, the tip compressed and sharp.