Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-06-29

The gannet. familiar to you from the ex.
quisite portraits by Mr.. Chapman and Mr..
Job, is associated perhaps in your mind
with the long and arduous journey to
Bird Rock. You will be agreeably sur.
prised, as | was to learn that it is not
difficult to see this splendid bird off our
own Massachusetts coast. 1t is as large
as goose, measuring nearly six feet be.
tween the tips OF the outstretching wings:
far e~cellns even the guls in beauty OF
plunaSe and power of flight. The Sannets
are migrants along our coast, and in the
autumn their movements depend on those
of the herring November is the month
in which l have generally seen them off
our shore.
After our memory becomes stored with
scenes of bird life, it is hard to select any
one picture which we can say surpasses
the rest. but the whirl of thousands OF
terms above Muskeget island. the long
lines of brant of Monomoy, are pictures
+ which I can never forget. And yet l
think | should have to give the palm to q
flock of gannets fishing off Ipswich beach.
The first duty of an ornithologist when
he reaches this beach at any season, is to
scan the watery horizon from one end to
the other, from Llum island to Annis-
guam. Perhaps he sees little groups OF
coot riding over some of the outer bars.
or flock Of graceful tern at the mouth
of the river. Often the only object that
meet his eye are the black heads of Il
| few seals and the ever-prcsent herring
| gulls. On one November day. what l at
first took to be flock of gulls. far out
at sea, attracted my attention by their
unusual behavior. They were flying a
| h,,,, nh In
then dropping with great velocity, strik-
ing the water with a splash. l thought at
once of gannets, knowing this to be their
manner of fishing. Presently the birds.
which had up to this time kept far out,
and had been more or less scattered, be-
gan TO gather, apparently over a school
OF herring. and draw nearer to the beach.
could now distinctly see the snowy white
of the old birds in sharp contrast to the
black tips of their wings. Their necks
and pointed tails are considerably longer
than those OF a gull, SO that when they
sail with outspread wings they suggest
somewhat the figure of a cross. which is
much broader, however, than long. Tho
birds drew still nearer to the beach and
the scene became really exciting. Ono
bird after another dashed down from ~
height of perhaps 60 feet. Each plunge
carried the bird completely under. and tha
spray rose several feet where he struck
the water These columns OF sprays rosa
on every side, and again and again IL
seemed as though one bird must surely
strike another in its descent. The sun
shining from behind me brought out with
great brilliance the pure white of thu
, adult birds plumage, so that as the great
, creaturcs shot downward, l could not
. help thinking of something luminous, al-
most like II falling star. A second or two
after each disappeared under the water
it reappcared, shook itself and after rest.
, ing a moment on the water, rose and
flew heavily up the wind, then turning
, and coming down the wind, regained a
place over the school of fish. Just before
a bird struck the water, it brought its
outstretched wings in toward its body 81
as to form a narrow bolt with which ia
, cieave the blue Of the water.