176 BRITISH SEA BIRDS. 
to one particular spot to breed, there can be little 
doubt that it pairs for life. The birds begin to 
associate closely in pairs somewhat early in spring ; 
but actual nesting duties do not commence for a — 
little time after that event. In most places the 
Cormorant breeds in colonies, the size apparently 
varying according to the amount of accommodation. 
For the present purpose we need not describe 
in detail any of the inland nesting places of this 
species, beyond remarking that the bird often 
breeds in trees like Rooks, making a huge nest 
of sticks and twigs, lined with grass. Upon the 
coast the favourite breeding resorts of the Cor- 
morant are ranges of lofty cliffs, and small low 
islands and reefs. The nest may thus either be on 
the ground—as at the Farne Islands, for instance— 
or on a ledge of the cliffs. When in the former 
situation it is generally composed of masses of sea- 
weed, stalks of marine plants, and lined with green 
grass or other herbage. A Cormorant’s nesting 
place is by no means a pleasant one for persons 
whose olfactory nerves are sensitive, the smell from 
the decaying fish, and from the droppings of the 
birds, that literally whitewash the whole vicinity, 
being sickening in the extreme. Other sea fowl 
usually give these colonies a wide birth. The eggs 
are from three to six in number, of a delicate 
bluish-green—where the colour can be detected 
through the abundant coating of lime—small for 
the size of the bird, and long and oval in shape. 
