TOTIPALMATE, OR FULLY WEBBED 

 SWIMMERS 



(Order Steganapodes) 



Birds of this order belong chiefly to tropical or sub-tropical 

 countries, and include the tropic birds, gannets, darters, cor- 

 morants, pelicans, and man-o'-war birds, representatives of each 

 of these seven families at least touching our southern coast line, 

 although only the cormorant is common enough north of the 

 southern states to come within the scope of this book. The 

 characteristic that separates these birds into a distinct order is the 

 complete webbing of all the toes; the hallux, or great toe, which 

 in many water-birds is either rudimentary, elevated, or discon- 

 nected from the other webbed toes, is in these species flat and 

 fully webbed like the rest, a characteristic no other birds have. 



Cormorants 



(Family Phalacrocoracidce) 



More than half of all the birds of the order of fully webbed 

 swimmers are cormorants; found in all parts of the world; but of 

 these we have only one, commonly found in the United States 

 around bodies of fresh water inland as well as off the Atlantic 

 coast. Cormorants nest in great colonies and are gregarious at 

 all times. The Chinese have turned their abnormal appetite for 

 fish to good account, by partly domesticating their common 

 species, putting a tight collar around the bird's throat to prevent 

 it from swallowing its prey, and then sending it forth to hunt for 

 its master. 



Birds of this family are strong fliers, and although they keep 

 rather close to the water when fishing, often pursuing their game 

 below the surface, they fly high in serried ranks, a few birds deep, 

 but in a long line, during the migrations. 



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