240 BULLETIN 121, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Behavior. — Tlie flight of the cormorant is heavy and heron like, with 

 slow flapping of its broad wings. It often flies close to the water, 

 and I have seen it touch the surface with its wing tips at each stroke 

 From a flat station like a beach, or the w^ater on calm days, it has 

 consideiable difficulty in rising, and strikes with its feet together in 

 great hops several times before it can get away. From a cliff or 

 buoy it launches itself into the air and descends in a great down- 

 ward curve nearly to the water, sometimes even splashing the surface 

 before it gets impetus enough to rise again and fly aw^ay. The 

 stronger the wind to which it opposes its aeroplanes, the less is the 

 depth of the curve. The reverse process of alighting on a cliff, and 

 particularly on a small perch like a buoy, also calls for much skill 

 on the part of the bird, and is interesting to watch. The cormorant 

 flies with considerable velocity upw^ind toward its buoy, sets its 

 wings, and with neck outstretched and feet dropped, it sails upwards 

 toward its perch. If it has not calculated exactly right it may fail 

 to accomplish the feat; whereupon it swings around to leeward and 

 tries again. I watched a cormorant try four times one calm March 

 day off Rockport on Cape Ann before it succeeded in alighting on 

 the spindle on the salvages. Cormorants, in migration or when flying 

 to and from their feeding grounds, maintain no regularity of flock 

 arrangement. An irregular flock is common, as is also a perfect 

 V-shaped formation, a long file, or a rank. In the latter case each 

 successive bird in the rank is generally slightly behind his neighbor 

 on one side. Although the flight is usually heavy, with slow wing- 

 beats, the birds are swnft flyers in strong winds and, at times, soar 

 like gulls or hawks to a great height. 



On the water they are rapid swimmers, and they often swim with 

 their body depressed so that the back is level with the surface. 

 When alarmed they sink still lower so that only the head and neck 

 are exposed. They not infrequently swim with the head and neck 

 extended forward under water for the purpose of looking for fish. 

 Under the surface they are especially at home, and progress with 

 great swiftness. As the cormorant dives for fish he springs upward 

 and forward and enters the water in a graceful curve with wings 

 pressed close to the sides. Headly (1907) sa^J's: "The cormorant uses 

 his feet alone to propel him [in diving] striking with both simul- 

 taneously, and holding the wings motionless, though slightly lifted 

 from the body. The position of the wings nuist have given rise to 

 the idea, common among fishermen, that the cormorant flies under 

 water * * * but when you see him in a tank you can have 

 no doubt that the legs are the propellers." Selous (1005) made ob- 

 servations on wild birds seen under advantageous circumstances in 

 a cave in the Shetlands and confirms the statement that the wings 

 are not used in diving. Cormorants are also able to dart down from 



