160 THE CORMORANT. 



but for one moment, how many innocent birds their 

 shot destroys ; how many fall disabled on the wave, 

 there to linger for hours, perhaps for days, in torture 

 and in anguish ; did they but consider how many 

 helpless young ones will never see again their parents 

 coming to the rock with food ; they would, methinks, 

 adopt some other plan to try their skill, or cheat the 

 lingering hour. 



NOTES OF A VISIT TO THE HAUNTS OF THE 

 CORMORANT, AND FACTS ON ITS HABITS. 



THE fabulous story concerning the cormorant made 

 a great impression upon me in early youth ; and I 

 well remember with what avidity I first read his true 

 history in the pages of Buffon. 



The old fable tells us that the cormorant was once 

 a wool-merchant. He entered into partnership with 

 the bramble and the bat, and they freighted a large 

 vessel with wool. She struck on some rocks, and 

 went to the bottom. This loss caused the firm to be- 

 come bankrupt. Since that disaster, the bat skulks 

 in his hiding-hole until twilight, in order that he may 

 avoid his creditors : the bramble seizes hold of every 

 passing sheep, to make up his loss by retaining part 

 of its wool ; while the cormorant is for ever diving 

 into the waters of the deep, in hopes of discovering 

 whereabouts his foundered vessel lies. So far for 

 the fable, which will always bring pleasing recol- 



