. Birds: the elements of ornithology . nhabit swamps and rivers, wherethey pursue fish with extraordinary agility, spearing^ themthrough with their sharp beak before seizing them in themouth, as may often be seen with the American species {PhtusanUnga, fig. 24) in our Zoological Gardens. A curious bend orseeming lump in the neck is conspicuous, and indicates the spotwhere the neck-bones are modified in a most remarkable manner,to facilitate the unerring projection of the bill—like a spear-head—against the body of the fish the bird desires to transfix. In the Gannet or Booby, also called the So
. Birds: the elements of ornithology . nhabit swamps and rivers, wherethey pursue fish with extraordinary agility, spearing^ themthrough with their sharp beak before seizing them in themouth, as may often be seen with the American species {PhtusanUnga, fig. 24) in our Zoological Gardens. A curious bend orseeming lump in the neck is conspicuous, and indicates the spotwhere the neck-bones are modified in a most remarkable manner,to facilitate the unerring projection of the bill—like a spear-head—against the body of the fish the bird desires to transfix. In the Gannet or Booby, also called the Solan Goose {Sula 26 ELEMENTS OP OKNITHOLOeX. bccssana), we meet once more with an Oceanic form. It may |serve as the type o£ a very small group of Marine Birds widely!distributed in the Tropics. The Gannet is a somewhat ungainly Bird, a little smallerthan a Goose, and awkward in its movements on the only is it a perfect swimmer, but it is also remarkablefor its wonderful powers of flight, soaring to great heights Fig. The Darter {Flatus anhinga). and traversing a hundred miles or more of aerial space inone day. Though not possessed of the powers of diving whichDarters and Divers enjoy, the Gannet, large and heavy birdthough it be, will suddenly descend and plunge directly dowiiFwards to catch the fish on which it feeds most greedily. It isvery local as to its breeding-places, there being but few such in INTEOJJUOTION. 27 Great Britain; amongst them the Bass Eock, Ailsa Craig, andLundy Island may be mentioned *. The G-annet, like the Cormorant, has a slightly distensiblenaked portion of skin at the top of the throat in front, extendingto the underside of the bill. This is greatly exaggerated in aBird which is entirely strange to our own climes, though acommon inhabitant of our Zoological Gardens. We refer to Fig. 25.
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookpubl, booksubjectornithology
