ORACULUS CAniiO 57 



Ihcse birds, oil" Grindstone Island in the Gull' of St. Lawrence, the last week in June. 

 The nests were placed on rocky cliffs, a hundred feet from the water, and contained not on- 

 ly fresh eggs but also newl^ hatched young, the latter being naked but black, and as shiny 

 as if polished with boot blacking. The adults were extremely shy, instantly leaving the 

 immediate vicinity when I ascended the rock. 



GRACULUS CARBO. 



Ciommon Cormorant. 



Graculus carbo (iv., (ien. BiiJs 1845. 



DESCKIPTIUN. 



Sr. Cu. Fiirm, robu'^t. Size, large. Color. Adult. Black tlirougliout, gi(jssi'(.l witli j;rccn, becoming asliy-brown 

 on center of feiitlicrs of'buily above, tinged with l)ronze. Broad line annind gular sao, Ulamentou'; feathers distributed 

 over head and neek, and pau-h on Hanks, white. Iris, green, naked space about head, grceuLsh-brown, gular sae, orange, 

 and feet, black. Youny. isiuiilar, but lack the wliite filamentous featlicrs and are paler. 



OBSKIIVATIOXS. 



Known )>y the large size and white markings. Distributed, in summer, from Gulf of St. Lawrence, northward, win- 

 tering along the coast as far south as New Jersey. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Average measurements <if specimens from North America. Length, 38'5(); stretch, 6I-B0; wing, l\M, tail, fiSD; bill, 

 3'J.5, tarsus, 2 25. Longest specimen, 40'00; greatest extent of wing, 62-CO, longest wing, 1500; tail,70li; bill,35l). tai-sus, 

 2-51) Shortest s])ecimen, 37-00; smallest extent of wing, 6'J-OO; shorte.st wing, 14-00; tail, G'OO; bill, 300; tarsus, 2-00. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 

 IWslx, ]>Iaccd on rocky cliffs, composed of sticks, sea-weeds, etc. Fiojs, tlivec or four in number. o\al in form, and 

 bluish-grccn in color, covered with a white calcareous deposit. Dimensions from TfiSx 2'()0 to TTS x2 ()5>.. 



IL\BITS. 

 I have never met with the Common Cormorant living, ;ind in spite of the name, con- 

 sider it much rarer than the preceding. I have often met with the Black Cormorants .along 

 our coast during migrations but never saw a specimen of the larger species among them. 

 The Common Cormorants breed on the coast of Labnidor and ^iiccording to fishermen and 

 others whom I have questioned concerning these birds, who were ftimiliar with them, they 

 <lo not dilfer much in habit from the Black when it is found in the North. 



FAMILY IV. PLOTID^. THE DARTERS. 



Bill, longer than head, straight, slender, and pointed at tip. Gular sa£, very small. 

 Sternwn, longer than luide. Coracoids, equal in length to sternum. 



The oesophagus is straight and wide. Proventriculus glands, arranged in a glolmlar 

 sac on lower side of oesophagus. Stomach, quite muscular. Coeca, very small. Sternum, 

 well arched, with the central posterior margin indented and having a wide, deep scallop 

 on either side. Keel, projecting Ibrward very .slightly and occupies two thirds the length 

 of the sternum. Tail, long and rounded. Head, small, with neek long. 



GENUS I. PLOTUS. THE ANIUNtl.AS. 

 (ii'.v. I'll. Similar to those given under family heading. Members of this genus arc remarkable on iiix'ounl of the 

 Song tail, liic central feathers of which are corrugated. Sexes, not similar. There is but one sjiecics within our limits. 



PLOTUS ANHINGA. 

 Snako Bird. 

 Plains anJuntja Liak., iiyst. Nat., I; 17(Si. .'JKO 

 DESCRIJ'TION. 

 Sr. Cn. Form, slender. Size, largo. Coi.oit. Adult male. Black throughout, glos,sed with greenish and Tiolet, !«- 

 coming brownish on wings and tail. Upper back, seajiularies, and wing coverts, streaked and .spotted with a.sliy-white, 

 a\v\ the greater wing coverts are edged with it. Tail, tipped with ashy-yellow, and head is provided with hmg, filamen- 

 tous feathers of ashy-white. Bill, dusky-yellow, feet, brownish-orange, iris, red. Adult female. Similar to male but the 

 Sicad, neck, and lueast, are ashy-yellow which becomes brownish above. Youny. Similar to adult Icmale but lack iliu 



