THE GANNET

The author is internationally known for his work on the North Atlantic gannet and the boobies. His studies of the gannetry on the Bass Rock over many years have formed the basis for most of our knowledge of the gannet's ecology, its breeding cycle and behaviour. The present work is a distillation of the studies and researches on Sula bassana in Europe and North America, with frequent reference to the African and Australasian gannets. There is also a chapter on the boobies, all of which have been studied at first hand by the author. Chapter topics are plumage, shape, structure and voice; numbers and distribution; behaviour; ecology; the bird at sea; the gannet family and the order; the gannet and man. There are many tables, maps and a full bibliography. The authoritative text is complemented by John Busby's brilliant and evocative drawings, plus 32 pages of photographs, many unpublished hitherto.

Bryan Nelson, BSc, DPhil, FRSE, was Reader in Zoology at the University of Aberdeen. A birdwatcher since boyhood, his principal research interest has been the behaviour and ecology of seabirds, especially gannets, boobies and frigatebirds, in pursuit of which he has lived on or visited remote oceanic islands as well as many British Ones.