150 



Ererofttrg of 



of North America; one especially we may 

 mention, the Coregonus albus, called the 

 Whitv-jish by the fur traders, and Poisson 

 Uaw by the Canadians. It is from seven- 

 teen to twenty inches long. It is bluish-grey 

 on the back, lighter on the sides, and white 

 on the belly ; the scales are large and or- 

 bicular ; there are about eighty scales on 

 the lateral line, and twenty in an oblique 

 series from the dorsal. This species in par- 

 ticular abounds in the lakes of North Ame- 

 rica. Dr. King, speaking of it, says, " Take, 

 for instance, the white-fish only the Cor- 

 regonus albus, which has never failed to 

 yield to the fisherman's net every demand . 

 the bread of life to the inhabitants of North 

 America, as I have called it, in gratitude for 

 its being tiie provision which saved my 

 party when in search of Sir John Boss from 

 the death of starvation. This is a food upon 

 which man will not only live for several 

 months together, but actually fatten." 



CORMORANT. (Plialacrocorasc.} Among 

 the whole of the web-footed birds which 

 prey on fish, there are none so voracious as 

 Cormorants. They are most excellent divers, 

 and pursue their prey with astonishing fa- 

 cility beneath the surface of the water, but 



COMMON CORMORANT. 

 (PHALACROCORAX CARBO.) 



upon land they are extremely awkward in 

 their movements, owing to their legs being 

 placed so far backwards : they, however, fly 

 with rapidity ; and their tail being rather 

 long and furnished with strong feathers, it 

 helps to support their body while walking. 

 As soon as winter approaches, they are seen 

 dispersed along the sea-shores, entering the 

 mouths of fresh- water rivers, and threaten- 

 ing destruction to all the finny tribe. There 

 are several species, but a description of the 

 one common in this country will be sufficient 

 for our purpose. This, which is called by 

 Bewick, the Great Black Cormorant, is 

 said to vary from four to seven pounds 

 in weight, and the size from thirty-two 

 inches to three feet four or five in length, 

 and from four feet to four feet six inches in 



! breadth when the wings are extended. The 

 bill, to the corners of the mouth, measures 

 four inches, and on its ridge two inches 

 and three qviarters : it is of a dark horn co- 

 lour, and the tip of the upper mandible is 

 much hooked and sharp : the lower bill is 

 compressed, and covered about the gape of 

 the mouth with a naked yellowish skin, 

 extended tinder the chin and throat, where 

 it hangs loose, and forms a kind of pouch, 

 \ which is capable of distention to a great 

 ; width : the skin about the eyes is also naked 

 and yellowish, and the eyes have a remark- 

 ably wild stare. The crown of the head 

 and the neck are black ; and on the former 

 are some loose feathers, which form a sort of 

 ; short crest ; the breast, all the under parts, 

 ; and the rump, are black glossed with green ; 

 i the quills and tail-feathers are black ; the 

 ! legs black. 



j The Cormorant is found in every climate. ' 

 j In Greenland, where it is said they remain 

 ! throughout the year, the jugular pouch is 

 i made use of by the natives as a bladder to ' 

 i float their fishing-darts, after they are 

 j thrown; their skins, which are tough, are used 

 i by them for garments, and their flush, which 

 is rank and disagreeable, for food. They 1 

 usually assemble in flocks on the inaccessible j 

 parts of the rocks which overhang or are i 

 surrounded by the sea; upon which the fe- i 

 male makes her nest of withered sea- weeds, j 

 ! sticks, and grasses : she lays four or more 

 greenish-white eggs, about the size, but i 

 somewhat longer, than those of a goose, j 

 At sea, or on the inland lakes, they make a 

 terrible havoc. From the greatest height ! 

 they drop down upon the object of pursuit, j 

 dive after it with the rapidity of a dart, and, i 

 with an almost unerring certainty, seize the 

 victim ; then emerging, with the fish across i 

 the bill, with a kind of twirl, throw it up ; 

 into the air, and dexterously catching it head j 

 foremost, swallow it whole. 



Notwithstanding the natural wildncss of 

 their disposition, it seems that certain spe- 

 cies of these birds have formerly been tamed 

 and rendered subservient to the purposes of 

 man, both in this and in other countries. 

 Among the Chinese, it is said, they have 

 frequently been trained to fish, and that 

 some fishermen keep many of them for that 

 purpose, by which they gain a livelihood. 

 In England too, formerly, according to 

 Willoughby, they were hoodwinked in the 

 manner of the falcons, till they were let off 

 j to fish, and a leather thong was tied round 

 ; the lower part of their necks, to prevent 

 their swallowing the fish. The whole de- 

 | portment of the Cormorant indicates the 

 | wary circumspect plunderer, the unrelenting 

 tyrant, and the greedy insatiate glutton, 

 rendered lazy only when the appetite is 

 j palled ; it ought, however, to be observed, 

 that this bird, like other animals, led only 

 by the cravings of appetite, and directed by 

 instinct, fills the place and pursues the course 

 assigned to it by nature. 



It may be thought that we have already 

 dwelt at sufficient length on the nature 

 j and habits of the Cormorant ; nor would we 

 i trespass farther but for the pleasure it affords 

 us to quote from that inimitable writer 



