Birds of Britain 



pletely webbed. Their food consists entirely of fish, which 

 they obtain by diving and of which they consume an im- 

 mense quantity. 



The Cormorant is abundant round all our shores and 

 nests in colonies on rocky cliffs. 



Its breeding places are very numerous and may be said 

 to occur pretty generally wherever suitable localities are to 

 be found. The nest is an untidy accumulation of seaweed, 

 and the eggs, usually five in number, are pale blue 

 in colour, but are thickly covered with a white chalky 

 encrustation. 



The young are blind at first and covered with blackish 

 down. They feed on half-digested food, which they procure 

 by inserting their head and neck into the parents' crop. 

 It is rather a sedentary bird, spending much of its time on 

 rocks just above high -water mark; in diving it moves 

 almost entirely by means of its feet, the wings being kept 

 closely folded to its side. Wlien searching for food it 

 places its head under water, and on sighting a fish dives 

 under with scarcely a ripple ; on being captured the victim 

 is brought to the surface and swallowed head first, and the 

 search for another is recommenced. Having satisfied his 

 hunger he mounts a rock and stands there erect, drying 

 himself in the wind with outstretched wings, for in spite of 

 their diving habits the feathers of these birds have very 

 little power of resisting water, and after a prolonged im- 

 mersion become quite saturated. It flies well and strongly 

 with the head and neck outstretched in front and looks 

 not unUke a Duck. In some places it nests inland near 

 large lakes, and in such localities the nest is placed on trees. 



220 



