SHAG. 379 



well as its smaller size, and this difference in size is a suf- 

 ficient distinction between them, when as young birds they 

 are more alike in colour. The matured Cormorant and the 

 Shag both bear crests in spring, and the early part of sum- 

 mer, but neither of them have a crest in winter, while the 

 young and immature birds of both these species have no crest 

 either in winter or summer. It is also common to find the 

 crested mature birds associating and breeding in one locality, 

 and the non-crested immature birds congregating, but not 

 breeding in another. 



In the localities visited, or in the habits of the Small, or 

 Green Cormorant, as compared with those of the larger and 

 darker-coloured bird, there are but few points of difference. 

 The Shag, it is said, never quits the salt water to follow the 

 course of a river, nor does it settle on trees like the Cormo- 

 rant. They generally build lower down on the rocks, nearer 

 the water, than the Cormorants, but in companies like them ; 

 and Montagu says he has seen thirty nests close together on 

 a small rock. The nest is formed of sea-weed, the eggs, three 

 or four in number, in shape and colour like those of its 

 generic companion, but they measure only two inches five 

 lines in length, by one inch and five lines in breadth. These 

 birds live on fish, in pursuit of which they exhibit all the skill 

 of the Cormorant, and have a similarly serrated claw, but as 

 neither of them are observed to attempt to catch, or to hold 

 fish with their feet, it would seem that their serrated claw is 

 not used to enable them to retain a slippery prey ; while from 

 some remains of down and feather found adhering to the 

 serrations in one of the Bitterns, it would rather appear that 

 the pectinated claw was used to dress and arrange the 

 plumage. 



The geographical range of this bird in the north is very 

 similar to that of the Cormorant, but the Cormorant goes to 



