104 FoRSTER, Cormoyanis : Are They Pests or Otherwise? i_,^f"oci. 



having been taken with scientific accuracy as to the weight, 

 measurements, and temperatures of these birds, but as to the 

 food consumed by them are not so convincing, because it is 

 unsafe to generalize from a single case, and, although Captain 

 White examined seventeen specimens, yet they were all obtained 

 at the same time and place, and were probably feeding in the 

 same Icoality, where, no doubt, the fish mentioned as being found 

 in their stomachs were plentiful, while other and marketable fish 

 were correspondingly scarce. 



The incidents I have to recall are as follows : — 

 In about the years 1862 to 1865 a party of lads, of whom I was 

 one, were on a camping and shooting excursion on the head waters 

 of the Lane Cove. This river meets the Parramatta River nearly 

 opposite Cockatoo Island. It is a tidal river for about six miles 

 upwards from its mouth, navigable for small boats at high tide 

 to the very point of its meeting the fresh-water stream above. 

 The party above mentioned had struck the Lane Cove above its 

 junction with the " Falls Creek," and camped in a roomy cave 

 for the first night of their arrival there. The fresh-water portion 

 of the Lane Cove consists of a succession of large water-holes 

 containing deep, permanent water, connected by a small stream, 

 rippling over a rocky bed, confined between high sandstone 

 ridges or hills. 



On the morning following their arrival, the little party followed 

 the course of the stream downwards. Before reaching the 

 junction with the salt water they passed a spot where the river 

 spreads out into a beautiful little fairy lakelet. The ranges on the 

 northern side are very lofty, and one in particular has a peculiar 

 formation. It is of conical shape, the summit crowned by a 

 group of hexagonal columns standing perpendicularly, other 

 similar columns lying on the ground beside them. Passing this 

 little beauty spot, the party continued their course down stream, 

 until, when approaching the last fresh-water hole, they noticed 

 that it was full of large Black Cormorants {Phalacrocorax carho), 

 probably 30 to 40 in number. Creeping quietly up to the water- 

 hole, they noticed that one of these birds presented an extra- 

 ordinary appearance ; it was swimming about with its head 

 stretched ■ upwards to the utmost, its mouth wide open as if 

 gasping for breath, and the neck swollen or distended to an 

 • enormous size. This bird was shot, and, on examining it, there 

 was found the tail of a fish closely adhering to the roof of its 

 mouth. Extracting the fish with some difficulty, it proved to be 

 a mullet of great size, from 15 to 18 inches in length at the least, 

 and weighing approximately between 3 and 4 lbs. As tliey lay 

 togetlier, side by side, the bird and the fish, it seemed incredible 

 that the latter could have been contained witliin the bird ; for, 

 while the tail of the fish was in its moutli, as above mentioned, 

 the front i)art of the head was in a partially digested condition, 

 the remainder of the fish being apparently quite fresh. Lying 

 on the sand, close to the edge of the water, was another large 



