CATALOGUE OF BIRDS. 1 99 



CASE 41. 



THE COMMON CORMORANT. 



Order, Steganopodes. Family, PelecanidcB. 



This species is fairly well distributed in the 

 British Islands, though certainly more plentiful in 

 some parts than others. 



So far as my memory serves me, I have found 

 Cormorants in most of the haunts that I have been 

 in, viz., Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. I can't say 

 that I have seen them in such numbers as their 

 lesser congener, the Shag. 



From Howard Saunders's " Manual " they would 

 appear to be most plentiful on our east coast from 

 Flamborough Head northward to Caithness; but that 

 is a coast line of which I have no personal knowledge 

 whatever. I should call them a marine as well as a 

 freshwater species, as they are very fond of going 

 from estuaries of the sea during the day time to in- 

 land trout lochs, gorging themselves with young 

 trout for several hours of the day, and returning 

 again in the afternoon or evening to the sea. The 

 regularity with which these visits are paid is remark- 

 able, so much so that, provided you carefully took 

 the time of departure and return, you might choose 

 a convenient spot to intercept their line of flight, 

 and thus get a shot. 



They are very cute birds indeed, and either in a 

 loch or on the sea you will find them difficult of 

 approach. 



In regard to the swimming peculiarities of this 

 bird, Mr. W. H. Hudson describes them so faithfully 



