166 STORIES OF BIRD LIFE 



In color the eggs are a pale bluish white overlaid with a 

 more or less soft calcareous coating, and measure about two 

 and a half inches in length by one and a half in width. The 

 nests were made entirely of dead twigs and small branches, 

 with often a few green twigs and leaves placed at the top. 

 The structures were usually about one foot across. 



The food of the cormorant at this season of the year must 

 consist largely of the common eel. In nearly every nest 

 signs of the eel's remains were seen. The young birds 

 upon becoming excited would disgorge fragments of eel 

 flesh. An old bird which was captured had the slime of 

 eels about her head, neck and bill. We tried for a time to 

 keep this fierce, wild mother cormorant, but she bit so fear- 

 fully, and struggled so constantly, beating the air with her 

 large black wings and tail, and scratched so seriously with 

 the sharp nails on her large webbed feet, that we were soon 

 glad to liberate her. 



The young birds were covered with black down, and 

 many of them were large enough to leave their nests and 

 climb about the branches of the trees. In doing this they 

 would often lose their balance on the limbs while endeavor- 

 ing to escape, but instead of falling into the water the hook 

 at the point of their long bills would invariably catch on 

 the perch, and by dint of much scratching the birds would 

 soon regain their former position. Queer fellows were 



