182 CORMORANT. 



Naturalists have so far agreed, that there are two sorts of 

 COOTS (the GREATER, and this, the COMMON BALD COOT), that 

 for the one, Linnaeus gives us the name ofjulica atra y and Buffon 

 that oflafoulque, or morrelle ; and for the other we find, in the 

 Latin, fulica alter ima, and in French, la grande foulque, or 

 la macroule. But, after all, some consider the one bird a mere 

 variety of the other. 



CORMORANTS 



Have generally some regular evening course to 

 the cliffs, where they roost; and as they fly low 

 towards sunset, they repeatedly balk the young 

 shooter, who fancies them Brentgeese. But as they 

 seldom appear so very late as not to be distinguished, 

 he may perceive the difference by the extra length 

 and sharpness of the head and tail; and their oc- 

 casionally ceasing to flap their wings as they fly. 

 These birds may be easily killed in the breeding sea- 

 son, if a shooter chooses to run the hazard of con- 

 cealing himself about the middle of the cliffs. This 

 many people do by being let down, for which some 

 use a kind of saddle, and others a strong basket, or 

 finding places where they can climb up for some di- 

 stance. But as such dangerous schemes are by no 

 means to be recommended, I should prefer the use of 

 a rifle, or content myself with the few chance shots, 

 that could be fired from a place of safety. 



There are three sorts of Cormorants. The COMMON GREAT 

 BLACK one, alias Cormorant, or Colegoose (pelicanus corbo le 

 cormoran) : the Green, Shag, Scarfe, or Skart (pelicanus gra- 

 culus le petit cormoran, or le nigaud) : the third is the CRESTED 



