Class II. CORVORANT. 609 



reaches from the upper mandible round the eyes, 

 and angles of the mouth : the head and neck are 

 of a footy blacknefs; but under the chin of the 

 male the feathers are white: and the head in that 

 fex is adorned with a fhort loofe pendent cred; in 

 fome the creft and hind part of the head are 

 ftreaked with white. The coverts of the wings, 

 the fcapulars, and the back, are of a deep green, 

 edged with black, and gloffcd with blue : the quil- 

 feathers and tail dufky : the lad confifts of four- 

 teen feathers : the bread and belly black : in the 

 midft of the laft is often a bed of white : on the 

 thighs of the male is a tuft of white feathers: 

 the legs are fhort, drong, and black ; the middle 

 claw ferrated on the infide : the irides are of a 

 light afh color. 



Thefe birds occupy the higheft parts of the 

 cliffs that impend over the fea : they make their Nest. 

 nefts of fticks, fea tang, grafs, &c. and lay fix or E g Q % 

 feven white eggs of an obiong form. In winter 

 they difperfe along the fhores, and vifit the frefli 

 waters, where they make great havoke among the 

 filh. They are remarkably voracious, having a 

 mod fudden digedion, promoted by the infinite 

 quantity of fmall worms that fill their inteftines. 

 The corvorant has the ranked and mod difasreea- 

 ble fmell of any bird, even when alive. Its form 

 is difagreeable ; its voice hoarfe and croaking, and 

 its qualities bafe. No wonder then that Milton 

 fhould make Satan perfonate this bird, to furvey 



undelighte-d 



