354 FOREIGN BIRDS. 



The once-believ'd fable of blood from her breast 

 Hath long since been set, and for ever, at rest, 



work-bags, &c. It is used in Egypt by the sailors, whilst at- 

 tached to the two under chaps, for holding or baling water. 

 The pouch extends from the point of the under mandible to the 

 throat ; it admits of being greatly contracted. In disgorging 

 the food the bird presses the bottom of the sack upon her 

 breast, and thus the contents are discharged : hence the fable 

 of feeding her young with her blood. It is an indolent lazy 

 bird; the female takes very little care either of her eggs or her 

 young. When it cannot obtain fish, it will feed on rats and 

 .small quadrupeds. Although the general colour of this bird is 

 white, it becomes, it is said, as it advances in age, in many parts 

 of the body, red. It lives sometimes 100 years. 



The Carbo, Cormorant, Corvorant, or Sea-Crow^ is black; the 

 neck long, size nearly that of a goose ; found in almost every part 

 of the ocean; flesli eaten by navigators; it abounds on the sea- 

 coasts of these kin«:dom8, but chiefly the north : it is very 

 common also on the shores of the Bristol Channel. This bird 

 was formerly domesticated in this country, and trained to fish 

 for its owner ; it is still used in China for this purpose. It is 

 subject to much variety both in size and colour : one described 

 by Montague, unqne-tionably very large, was three feet three 

 inches long^ breadth four feet eleven inches, and weight eight 

 pounds! It is usually, however, much less than this: not so 

 large as a goose. Eggs three, white; nest, composed of sticks 

 and sea-weed, is generally found on the summit of the hij-hest 

 rocks, near the sea. It is in the wintrr seen sometimes in fresh- 

 water rivers, at a considerable distance from the sea. 



This bird has been usually considered greedy and rapacious ; 

 so much so, indeed, that it has been often cited by writers, and 

 particularly by the poets, as well as in the common language of 

 life, as an emblem of greediness : — 



" Spite of cm^morant devouring time.'' 



Shakespeare. 



