THE WHITE-CRESTED CORMORANT. 845 
Our own cormorants are to be found chiefly upon the Olympiades (pro- 
nounced Olympiah’ deez), and in the coastal waters, where alone birds of this 
white-crested species breed. A few colonies of Baird Cormorants exist on the 
islands of the lower Sound, but the White-crest occurs only in the winter sea- 
son, and then in limited numbers, east of the entrance to the Straits of Juan 
de Fuca. ] 
White-crests usually prepare their complement of eggs during the first 
week in May, and therefore are the earliest nesters of the three local species. 
The nests are invariably built of sticks, chiefly those culled from the beach. 
There is no proper lining, but various soft substances, 
like bark, moss, sea-weed, rags, and feathers, are 
incorporated in the structure, which is always placed 
in an exposed situation, the crest of a sharp ridge 
or the top of a lone rock. 
Unlike the Baird Cormorant, which is nervous 
and flighty to a fault, the White-crest is a 
plain, home-loving body, very amiable if 
treated with. proper considera- 
tion. Partly because of her 
more phlegmatic 
disposition and 
Taken on Carroll Islet. Photo by the Author. 
A RIDGE COLONY. 
partly, no doubt, because most of the eggs have hatched by June (which is as 
early a date as one cares to select in visiting this region of heavy rainfall), it 
is often possible to get very close to brooding birds of this species. The photo- 
graph shown in the full-page plate was taken at ten feet, and I have declined 
opportunities at four feet simply because the bird would not go on the plate. 
In spite of the filthy surroundings of her nest, the Shag is not uncleanly 
in personal appearance, and her sleek shininess is doubtless due in large 
measure to her frequent ablutions. The bird’s eye is of a handsome blue- 
green (rather an unusual color among birds), and its hue matches to a nicety 
