6 PELECANID^E 



this, correlated with the fact that they only use their legs as 

 propelling organs, necessitates their making a strong initial 

 plunge under water. Indeed, these two birds are divers in 

 the strict sense of the word, differing from the Auks, which 

 may be said to fly with open wings through the water, in 

 pursuit of fry, and sometimes at no great depth below the 

 surface. 



FIG. l. SHAG. 



Flight. On the wing the Shag strongly resembles the 

 Cormorant, and the two species might easily be confounded 

 by persons unacquainted with the difference in the size 

 of the birds. The Shag, which is only three-fourths of the 

 size of the Cormorant, is generally to be seen flying low 

 over the waves from one fishing-ground to another. Except 

 when migrating, there is seldom any occasion for the bird 

 to rise high in the air, for the nest is generally situated near 

 the base of a cliff. 



Voice. The note is croaking in character, but softer and 

 more highly-pitched than that of the Cormorant. 



Nest. The Shag is gregarious in the breeding-season, 

 but the colonies are usually smaller than those of the 

 last species. The nest is generally built in nooks and 

 caverns on sea-cliffs, rather than in exposed situations. 



