366 PHALACEOCOKACID.^. 



Pays-Bas, vi. Pelec. p. 18 (1863) [part, «] ; Droste,J. f. O. 1869, 

 p. 389 [Faroes]; G. R. Gray, Hand-L B. iii. p. V27 (1871); 

 Sundev. Ibis, 1886, p. 457 [wing]. 

 •Shag or Green Cormorant, K?iox, Zool. (2) i. pp. 243-257, 328-333 

 (I860) [Life-history]. 



Adult in bi-eecling-2Jlumage (February to May). Head and neck 

 dark glossy green, shading into oily bronze-green on the rest of the 

 upper and under parts ; crown with a semi-erect crest, curved 

 slightly forwards, the longest feathers measuring 2 inches ; upper 

 back, wing-coverts, and scapulars often inclining to purplish bronze, 

 especially in slightly worn specimens, and narrowlj' margined with 

 dark greenish-black ; quills and tail-feathers black, with some green 

 gloss. Tail composed of 12 feathers. Inside of month and round 

 gape pale orange-yellow ; naked skin of chin and throat black, 

 thickly dotted with yellow ; iris bright green ; legs and feet 

 blackish. 



Male. Total length about 30 inches, culmen 2-5, wing lO'S, 

 tail 5-4, tarsus 2*3. 



Female. Total length about 30 inches, culmen 2-5, wing 10-3, 

 tail 5"3, tarsus 2*3. 



Adult in non-hreeding plumage (August to November). Differs 

 from the above in being devoid of a crest, and in having the feathers 

 bordering the naked gular skin white or pale greyish white. 



Towards the end of November, or the beginning of December, the 

 grey feathers of the throat bordering the naked gular skin are shed 

 and replaced by dark glossy green feathers, similar to those of the rest 

 of the head and neck ; and at the same time the crest begins to make 

 its appearance, and is generally fully grown by the beginning of 

 February. 



The changes of plumage appear to be entirely produced by moult, 

 which, in these birds, is remarkably irregular, and it is only during 

 the breeding-season that no change takes place. In every other 

 month some birds are to be found in moult. 



An adult bird, shot on the 16th January, differs from specimens 

 collected between the months of February and November in having 

 the naked skin between the mandibles pa/e pink with chrome- 

 yellow dots, and the skin at the angle of the gape chrome-yellow. 

 This difference is no doubt merely individual. 



Nestling. Covered with sooty-black down ; naked skin on face 

 and throat dark purplish black. 



In first autumn plumage. Top of the head, back of the neck, and 

 upper parts brown, with some oil-green gloss : feathers of the upper 

 back and scapulars with dark brown submarginal bands and narrow 

 pale margins, the longer scapulars and wing-coverts brown with 

 pale brownish-white margins ; chin and throat white ; sides and 

 front of neck, and sides of body brownish ; middle of underparts 

 whitish. 



In second autumn plumage. Upper parts much darker and less 

 brown ; the upper back, wing-coverts, and scapulars interspersed 



