314 Mr. W. C. Tait on the Birds of Portugal. 



" Mujeiro/^ A friend of mine tells me that when travelling 

 on one occasion by train about the 20th February, 1883, on 

 passing between Estarreja and Aveiro lagoon, an Eagle rose 

 carrying in its claws a large fish, and settled on the edge of 

 the water. When the train approached the bird tried to rise 

 again, but the fish was so heavy that it could only drag it 

 along. From his description I should judge that it was an 

 Osprey. In the Lisbon Museum there is a specimen from 

 the lake of Albufeira, in Portugal (not to be confounded 

 with the large Spanish lagoon of that name near Valencia) . 



157. Phalacrocorax carbo (Linn.). " Corvo marinho," 

 Portugal. 



The Cormorant is very common in winter on the sea-coast. 

 It is often to be seen on the river Douro, near its mouth. 

 The Leixoes rocks near Oporto are sometimes crowded with 

 them. I have not seen this bird in the summer months ; 

 they generally appear from the middle of October. It was 

 not nesting on Berlengas Island at the end of May, nor on 

 Cies Island, Vigo Bay, in June; while, on the contrary, its 

 near relative, Phalacrocorax graculus, was very common on 

 these occasions, and I consider the Cormorant to be merely 

 a winter visitant. 



158. Phalacrocorax graculus (Linn.). "Corvo mar- 

 inho,'' " Galheta," Peniche. 



I found numbers of the Shag nesting on Berlengas Island 

 at the end of May, and also a few pairs on Cies Island, Vigo 

 Bay, in June. In one of the nests there were two young 

 birds greatly differing in age and size, a convenient arrange- 

 ment where the parents have to provide fish for such vora- 

 cious children. 



159. SuLA BASSANA (Linn.) . " Alcatraz/^ Aveiro ; "Mas- 

 cato,^^ Anchora, Vianna, Oporto, and Galicia; '' Facao," 

 Valbom fishermen, Oporto ; " Ganso patola," Coimbra 

 Museum. 



The Gannet is an autumn and winter visitant, arriving in 

 August in small numbers, but the larger detachments do not 

 come until October. Some remain till March. 

 [To be continued.] 



