256 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



a frigate pelican which overtook him with apparently no 

 effort. Whenever chased, a cormorant squawks lustily and 

 tries to avoid his pursuer by turning to one side, but the 

 pelican keeping close behind with scarcely a motion of his 

 wings, soon causes him to drop the fish which he may have 

 and which is quickly snatched from the surface before it 

 sinks. 



When on an excursion up the long estero, I saw for the first 

 time the doubted spectacle of a cormorant sailing. The 

 bird was a solitary individual, about a gun-shot above the 

 water; with wide-spread wings he covered in flight nearly a 

 hundred yards without flapping, but of course rapidly 

 descending];'. Since reading, years ago, Longfellow's poem 

 " The Skeleton in Armor," I have watched hundreds of 

 these birds flying, to note, if ever, "^ * ^ '^ ^itli his 

 wings aslant, sails the fierce cormorant," and even now 

 incline to tliink that some other bird was had in mind or 

 very large margin must be allowed a natural history 

 reference. 



Most of the cormorants' nests could be reached by careful 

 climbing and by distributing one's weight upon different 

 branches and partially supporting by the arms. It was 

 impossible, even when the tide was out, to walk on the 

 ground among the trees, or more properly bushes, for they 

 were hardly trees in size, hence to reach the nests I was 

 obliged to climb through and over the mangroves. Many 

 times in my eagerness and haste to get over as much ground, 

 or rather as much mangrove as possible, 1 broke through 

 the tangle, seldom falling entirely to the ground, but 

 lodging midway in a peculiarly helpless position from 

 which it required time and care to clear myself. 



Some of the nests contained fresh eggs as early as 

 January 14, and I was told they had been taken by the 

 people for food two weeks before. 



I did not notice the peculiarity mentioned by Dr. Cooper 

 that the eggs would not coagulate by boiling, for although 



