CORMORANT. 287 



some months is entirely without it. The young birds, 

 also in their first winter, have no grooves on the bill, but 

 these are acquired in the following spring, and the white 

 groove once obtained appears to be permanent in the 

 adult specimens." 



In the open sea off the north coast of Norfolk, razor- 

 bills, both old and young, are found in considerable 

 numbers after the breeding season, and in rough weather 

 the young birds seek the shelter of the harbours, espe- 

 cially during north or north-east gales ; at such times 

 Mr. Dowell says the Blakeney harbour is sometimes 

 filled " with these and such-like visitors," but, so far as 

 my experience goes, the adult birds are rare near the 

 shore at any time, save under the exceptional circum- 

 stances mentioned. During the early part of March, 

 1847, the same gentleman says, " I picked up several 

 specimens which seemed starved to death, and killed 

 others in nearly as bad a plight, and yet the weather 

 was not at all severe. The last found, March 25th, had 

 nearly assumed the black throat of summer." 



Mr. F. d'A. Newcome has a young razorbill in his 

 collection, which was picked up alive with a broken 

 wing, on the heath at Wilton, in July, 1884. 



In August, 1889, a number of razorbills were shot 

 off Cley by a Mr. Bagster, and skinned by Mr. Pashley ; 

 some were adults in full moult, others only half grown. 

 On September 18th of the same year, Mr. F. Barclay and 

 Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., shot two of these birds off Cley, 

 about three miles from the shore, one of which, an 

 adult, had no primaries, and therefore could not have 

 flown. 



PHALACROCORAX CARBO (Linn^us). 



COEMORANT. 



Two hundred years ago the cormorant was a resident 

 in Norfolk and the border of the adjoining county of 

 Suffolk. It must now be regarded as an occasional and 

 uncertain visitant to our coast, and less frequently still 



