270 PHALACEOCOEA.011)^:. 



Order STEGANOPODES. 



Family PHALACROCORACID^E. 



Phalacrocorax carbo (Linn.). The Large Cormorant. 



Graculus carbo (Ztmt.), Jerd. B. 2nd. ii, p. 861 ; Hume, Rough Draft 

 N. $ E. no. 1005. 



The Common Cormorant is abundant enough in all the larger 

 rivers of Upper India, at any rate in those which run through at- 

 all rocky beds. I have never 'succeeded in finding their nest or 

 procuring their eggs, but I had some fragments of shells shown me 

 once which, from texture, colour, and size, did probably really 

 belong, as they were said to do, to this species. 



At all seasons of the year, except the height of the rains, of 

 which I cannot speak, they are to be found in the Chumbul in that 

 part of its course where it forms the southern boundary of the 

 Etawah District. The local boatmen assured me that the Common 

 Cormorant bred there in April and May on rocky islands or 

 lengthened rocky promontories, generally in amongst the rocks, 

 but sometimes on trees, making a large nest of sticks. It was 

 in the Chumbul that the shells already alluded to were brought 

 to me. A boatman pointed out a ridge of rocks where, he said, he 

 had seen a great number of " jul-kowas " breeding the previous 

 year ; and, in the course of poking about this, some half-a-dozen 

 fragments of eggs were found in crevices which certainly looked 

 very much as if they might have belonged to Cormorants, with 

 whose eggs I have been familiar from childhood. I have also been 

 assured that they breed about some rocks in the River Jumna in 

 large numbers, at a place called Mhow-Buriaree some thirty miles 

 above Allahabad. 



It breeds commonly enough, however, in many other parts of 

 the Empire. 



Writing from Pegu, Mr. Gates says : " This bird breeds in vast 

 numbers in the Myitkyo swamp, placing its nest in low, apparently 

 dead trees, which rear their heads 15 or 20 feet above the water. 

 I found it impossible to approach the trees quite closely myself, so 

 I sent a Burman, who brought me a basketful of eggs in a few 

 minutes. From a short distance the nests appeared to be made of 

 twigs ; but I have often seen these birds dive in the canal and fly 

 off with weeds fully 5 feet long. t These, no doubt, enter into the 

 composition of the nest. There were either four or five eggs in 

 each nest. The egg is covered with dirty white chalky matter ; 

 when this is removed the shell is a very pale blue. As incubation 



