The Common Cormorant 



THE Common Cormorant is decidedly a 

 bird of character and intelligence. 

 Both the Chinese and Japanese have for cen- 

 turies trained it to catch fish for them, and it 

 is interesting to note, by the way, that this 

 peculiar sport was introduced into Europe 

 some time during the seventeenth century. 

 James I. of England was very fond of watch- 

 ing his trained Cormorants catch fish for him, 

 and his son Charles I. inherited his father's 

 tastes in this direction. 



This bird is easily tamed and soon be- 

 comes attached to its owner. 



A pair of Cormorants has been known to 

 feed and rear a family of young ravens, whose 

 parents had met with an untimely end. 



The Cormorant secures its prey by diving 

 and swimming under water after it, and can 

 swallow fish of large size. After a meal 

 you may often see a number of these birds 

 standing in a row on some rock, with heads 



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