PELICANS, CORMORANTS, AND PETRELS. 257 



Susquehanna, but is reported now by Dr. Warren to 

 occur in Pennsylvania only on the lake-shore in Erie 

 County. Dr. Turnbull says they are " rare ;" many, 

 however, pass along the coast to winter farther south. 



As the cormorant feeds almost exclusively on fish, 

 if not quite so, it is necessarily an expert swimmer 

 and diver. It can remain a long time, too, under 

 water. " The activity the bird displays under water 

 is almost incredible to those who have not seen its 

 performances, and in a shallow river scarcely a fish 

 escapes its keen eyes and sudden turns, except by 

 taking refuge under a stone or root, or in the mud 

 that may be stirred up during the operation, and so 

 avoiding observation." 



This bird builds a conical nest of sticks with a de- 

 pression at the top. In some localities this and the 

 preceding are found nesting in the same place. They 

 choose cliff-sides, surfaces of rocky islands, and some- 

 times trees. They are soon fouled by the excre- 

 ment of the birds, and with the ground immediately 

 surrounding " generally look as though bespattered 

 with whitewash." 



Moseley, in " Naturalist on the ' Challenger/ " gives 

 the following amusing anecdote of a species of cormo- 

 rant he saw in the South Pacific at Kerguelen Land. 



" An idea of the relations of the various birds to one another in 

 the struggle for existence will be gained from the following incident : 

 I saw a cormorant rise to the surface of the water, and lifting its 

 head, make desperate efforts to gorge a small fish which it had caught, 

 evidently knowing its danger, and in a fearful hurry to get it down. 

 Before it could swallow its prey, down came a gull, snatched the fish 

 after a light struggle, and carried it off to the rocks on the shore. 

 Here a lot of other gulls immediately began to assert their right to a 

 r 22* 



