CORMORANT 345 



on fishes, with dark-coloured plumage (at least on the upper-parts), 

 long neck, stiff tail-feathers, and legs placed far back on the body. 

 But little seasonal change is noticeable in the plumage of the adults, 

 which is also nearly, if not quite, similar in the two sexes. 



From the tropical darters the cormorants, of which there are 

 numerous species, mostly from the southern hemisphere, are dis- 

 tinguished by their sharply hooked beaks, furnished at the tip with 

 a structure somewhat resembling the " nail " of the ducks and geese, 

 and with smooth cutting edges. 



The true, or black cormorant is much the larger of the two 

 British representatives of the genus, measuring nearly a }'ard in total 

 length, and weighing from 7^ to 8 lbs. It is further characterised 

 by its fourteen tail-feathers and the generally black hue of the plumage. 

 The feathers display a metallic lustre, those on the upper part of the 

 back, as well as the scapulars and wing-coverts, being bronzy brown 

 with steely-blue edges, while those of the under-parts are bluish black. 

 From February till May both sexes assume a breeding-plumage, in 

 which the black of the head is lighted up by long silky plumes, while a 

 dark crest (larger in the male than in the female) makes its appear- 

 ance on the crown, the bare skin on the throat develops a broad white 

 border, and a snow-white patch contrasts with the blackness of the 

 thigh. The emerald-green eye is one of the most beautiful features in 

 the cormorant ; below the eye the bare patch of skin is greenish brown, 

 while that on the throat is lemon-yellow ; and the legs and toes are 

 blackish. The full plumage is not attained till the second year, and 

 young birds are brown above and white with brown mottling beneath, 

 while the eye is brown in place of green. When first hatched the 

 blind nestling is quite naked, although it soon grows a thick coat of 

 black down. A noteworthy feature in regard to nestling cormorants 

 is that the nostrils are open and functional, and it is only as develop- 

 ment proceeds that they become nearly closed, when breathing takes 

 place through the mouth, as may be seen when full-grown birds 

 " hang themselves out to dry " and sit with gaping beaks. 



Considerable variation apparently exists in regard to the size of 

 adult cormorants, some writers giving the maximum length as 32 

 and others as 36 inches. Apparently the males are generally some- 

 what superior in size to their mates. 



The range of the cormorant comprises the greater part of the Old 

 World, inclusive of Australia, together with Greenland and the 

 Atlantic coast of North America. With such an extensive dis- 

 tributional area, the natural conclusion would be that these birds nest 



