OTHER CREATURES WHICH LIVE IN THE SEA. 115 



with exceedingly long bills, under which are hung 

 bags to hold the fish which they catch. You 

 would hardly expect so clumsy a bird to be an 

 expert fisher, but if you watch his motions you 

 will see that they are far more rapid and skillful 

 than you would suppose. 



Along the rocky sea-coast one often sees a small 

 flock of Shags flying very swiftly in a line, just 

 above the surface of the waves. The shag is 

 really a species of Cormorant. Its plumage is so 

 dark in color that at a distance it appears black, 

 though a close examination shows a touch of 

 green. These birds have slender bodies, strong 

 wings, and long, sharp bills. They are expert 

 fishers. In China, young cormorants are trained 

 to dive for fish, and to bring them to the boat 

 of their master. 



On the salt marshes one sometimes sees a lonely 

 Crane standing, at least a yard high. He is a 

 great creature, with naked legs so long that when 

 he files they stretch out behind like two poles. 

 On the marshes and the beaches you also see other 

 wading birds smaller than the cranes. To these 

 belong the Curlews and the little gray Sand-pipers. 



Farther out at sea, around the rocky islands 

 which lie along the coast, are vast numbers of 

 other birds, one of which, the Murre, lays the 



