560 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



larder. Dr. Saxby's bird seems to have been the 

 more omnivorous of the two, eating birds, fish, mice, 

 raw meat, or almost anything that he could come 

 * across. Montagu, on the other hand, seems to have 

 found some difficulty in keeping his bird alive when 

 fish were scarce, and had at first to cram him with 

 raw meat. Both of these birds seem to have been 

 very fond of basking by the kitchen fire ; but Dr. 

 Saxby says it was at such tinies dangerous to leave 

 either fish or flesh within reach of his bird, as once 

 he carried off a newly-skinned rabbit. In a wild state 

 the food of the Cormorant appears to consist almost 

 entirely of fish. 



These birds collect in some considerable numbers 

 at their breeding stations. The nests are generally 

 made high up on the cliffs arid sometimes on trees, 

 especially fir trees. Yarrell, in a note, mentions as 

 many as eighty Cormorants' nests being collected 

 together in some high Scotch fir trees, at a place 

 called Castle Martyr, in Scotland. The nest is 

 generally made of sea-weed and long coarse grass. 



The Cormorant is not very easily approached 

 in a boat on the open sea, nor when perched on a 

 rock, unless some cover can be found, as he is gene- 

 rally pretty wide awake and much more ready to 

 save himself by flight than the Northern Diver. 

 Except after a wounded bird I have never had such 

 a chase as for a Northern Diver : I have, however, 

 occasionally stalked up tolerably close to one when 



