30) JOURNAL OF THE 
trees standing in the water from fifty to two hundred 
yards from the shore. Eighteen trees were thus occu- 
pied, the number of nests each tree bore varying from 
one to twelve. In one tree however there were thirty- 
eight occupied nests. 
The colony was scattered along the lake side for a dis- 
tance of a mile anda half. The eggs or young contained 
in each nest varied from two or four in number. In 
color the eggs are a pale bluish white overlaid witha 
more or less soft calcareous coating, and measure about 
two and a half inches in length by one and a half in 
eka : 
The young birds were covered with black down, many 
of them being large enough to leave their nests and climb 
about on the branches of the trees. In doing this they 
would often lose their balance on the limbs while en- 
deavoring to escape, but instead of falling into the water 
the hook at the point of the long bill would invariably 
catch on tne perch and by dint of much scratching the 
birds would soon regain their former position. So well 
could they use their. bills for climbing that Mr. H. H. 
Brimley of Raleigh N. C. to whom some of these were 
sent remarked afterwards ina letter that they repeatediy 
climbed with apparent ease up the wire netting which 
composed the sides of their cage. 
The food of the cormorants at this season of the year 
must consist largely of eels, (Azguzlla anguilla). In 
1The exact measurements in inches and hundredths of two sets of 
eggs selected at random are here given: A set of four eggs measured 
2.50x1.56;2.53x1.62;2.47x1.53 and 2.50x1.56. <A set of three showed some- 
what smaller dimensions, 2.32x1.56;2.32x1,32 and 2.24x1.53, the aver- 
age for the seven specimens being 2.42x1.55. Chapman makes no 
distinction in measurements between the eggs of this variety and the 
species from which it is derived, giving the measurements of the latter 
as 2,40x1.40. Itis quite possible however that measurements taken 
from a much larger series of eggs of the Carolina bird might show 
quite a different result from the above. : 
