340 The Fotk-Lore of Natural History. [Sess. 
however, has been known to breed in captivity, and is a some- 
what rare winter visitor in the Firth of Forth. 
CORMORANTS. 
In connection with another sea bird, the cormorant, it may 
not be out of place for me to mention that King James I., in 
1611, had a regular establishment of these birds for fishing 
on the river Thames at Westminster. Numerous interesting 
entries regarding it are found in the Record Office: “To John 
Wood the sum of £30 in respect of bringing up and training 
of certain fowls called cormorants and making them fit for the 
use of fishing.” “ May 27, 1612.—Payment to the said John 
Wood for getting cormorants from the north.” 
CRANES. 
A common belief existed at one time that somewhere in the 
centre of Africa there existed a race of pigmies between whom 
and the migratory cranes deadly battles were fought. Pliny, 
in his seventh book, gives some justification for the alleged 
feud: “In the spring-time the pigmies sally forth in great 
troops, riding upon goats, searching for and devouring the eggs 
of the cranes.” Recent explorations in Africa have indeed 
revealed the existence of a certain race of pigmies, but we 
hear of no account of any such warfare in modern times. 
While the Scottish rural class of former days had their 
curious superstitions as regards birds and beasts, the interpre- 
tation of their habits into omens and signs of the weather 
might well form a separate chapter of study. The knowledge 
which long-continued observation gives respecting meteoro- 
logical changes was embodied in verses of the usual simple 
kind, which were handed down from sire to son with the 
greatest fidelity, and are even yet quoted by old people. One 
of the simplest and oftenest heard is that 
“ An air winter’s 
A sair winter ”— 
1.€., a Winter early begun is likely to be a severe one. Feb- 
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