CORMORANT. 651 



localities iii Europe, and eastwards on the shores of the Black and Caspian 

 Seas. It is a winter visitor to Persia, a resident in Turkestan, a summer 

 visitor to Southern Siberia, principally known on migration in Mongolia, 

 and wintering in Japan and China. It is a resident in North India and 

 Burma, and a winter visitor to South India and Ceylon. It is a resident 

 in the islands of the Malay Archipelago, Australia, Tasmania, and New 

 Zealand. 



The nearest ally of the Cormorant is Phalacrocorax capillatus, a resident 

 in Japan and Northern China. This is a very distinct species, differing 

 from the Common Cormorant in having larger feet, the plumage glossed 

 more with green, and the feathers of the upper back, the scapulars, wing- 

 coverts, and innermost secondaries bronzy green margined with black, 

 as in the Shag, instead of bronzy brown margined with black; the white 

 patch on the sides of the head and throat is also profusely streaked with 

 dark green, and the nuptial filaments on the head and neck are more 

 hair-like, whence its name. On the Pacific coast of North America from 

 Vancouver Island to the southern extremity of the Californian peninsula 

 our Cormorant is represented by P. penicillatus , a somewhat intermediate 

 species, having the white throat of P. carbo and the green back, scapulars, 

 and wing-coverts of P. capillatus. It differs from both in its nuptial fila- 

 ments, which are confined to two long tufts on each side, one above the 

 ear-coverts and the other on the upper scapulars. It has been alleged that 

 examples of the Common Cormorant from Australia and New Zealand 

 differ from our bird in having the feathers glossed with green instead of 

 purple, but British examples differ considerably in this respect. These 

 three species, as well as the other Cormorants, have fourteen tail-feathers, 

 the Shag and its allies having only twelve. 



The Cormorant is to a large extent an oceanic bird, but wherever fish 

 is to be obtained, be it salt water or fresh, be it river or lake, the Cor- 

 morant, if not molested, is almost sure to be found. On some of the great 

 Siberian and Chinese rivers it may be seen a thousand miles or more 

 from the coast. It is only a migratory bird in localities where its 

 feeding-grounds are frozen up in winter ; but during that season it often, 

 wanders far and wide, and birds of the year probably migrate southwards 

 in autumn from all the principal breeding-stations. The flight of the 

 Cormorant is intermediate between that of a Guillemot and a Heron ; like 

 both those birds it stretches out its long neck, but the legs are not 

 straddled out like those of the former, but stretched out under the tail 

 like those of the latter. The wings are generally moved with great 

 rapidity like those of a Duck ; but not unfrequeiitly the motion is more 

 deliberate as in the Heron, and occasionally it skims over the surface with 

 outspread motionless wings like a Grouse. The Cormorant appears to 

 most advantage on the water; the backward position of its legs enables it to 



2u2 



