388 CORMORANT. 



much the same as if it was flying. It is a bird of 

 voracious appetite and will eat fish of great size, hav- 

 ing been observed to devour eels two feet in length. 

 When seen on shore it is usually stationary, perched 

 upon a rock near the water digesting its food and pos- 

 sibly on the lookout for further prey. The Japanese 

 and Chinese train this bird to catch fish for them, in 

 which practice it proves very useful. 



The Cormorant breeds upon the bare rocks which 

 rise sharp from the sea, but, curiously enough, in some 

 districts it nests inland in the tops of trees, consequently 

 it may be often seen perching on trees. They breed 

 in colonies. When the nests are on the rocks they 

 are built almost entirely of seaweed. They are large 

 structures which are repaired and added to from year 

 to year, so that they sometimes approach three or four 

 feet in depth ; they are lined with the green leaves 

 of sea plants. When the nests are built in trees, 

 however, they are formed principally of sticks and lined 

 with a little fresh green stuff. The colonies of the 

 Cormorants are covered thickly with the droppings 

 of the birds, and, on approaching, the odour from this 

 and the decaying remains of fish becomes very strong 

 and offensive. 



The eggs are usually three in number, but often only 

 two are laid. They are chalky white in appearance, 

 but the green ground colour often shows through. 

 Seebohm describes the Cormorant as " intermediate in 

 size between a Duck and a Goose ". The general 

 colour of the bird is black, tinged with purple and 

 green. The head and neck are mingled with narrow 

 white feathers ; the cheeks are white ; the wings are 

 brown, and there is a white patch on the body above 

 the top joint of the legs. 



