516 PATAGONIAN EXPEDITIONS I ZOOLOGY. 



for several minutes, it vainly attempted to swallow. I noticed it chuck- 

 ing the fish about until it had got hold of it by the head, but even then 

 it seemed unable to 'strike down' the savoury morsel. A flock of domin- 

 ican gulls now appeared on the scene, and seeing the state of affairs at 

 once swooped down on the unlucky cormorant, but the wily bird discom- 

 fitted them by diving and carrying the fish with it. It was now most 

 ludicrous to witness the disappointed appearance of the gulls, as they sat 

 in a group on the water looking foolishly about, and apparently overcome 

 with grief at their inability to follow up the chase by diving. After an 

 interval of about half-a-minute the cormorant reappeared some distance 

 off with the fish still in its mouth, and now one of the gulls succeeded at 

 last in snatching the fish from its grasp, and flew away with it rapidly up 

 a long winding arm of the sea. At this critical moment a skua (Ster- 

 corarius chilensis), hove in sight, and gave chase to the fugitive gull, 

 until, unfortunately, a turn in the creek concealed both birds from our 

 sight, but left us to safely conjecture that the last comer had ultimately 

 the satisfaction of consuming the wretched fish. 



"I have often wondered at the apparently stupid manner in which long 

 files of cormorants will continue on their course over the surface of the 

 water without deviating so as to avoid a dangerous locality until they are 

 close to the place or object to be avoided. Many persons are doubtless 

 familiar with the appearance of these birds as they fly towards a boat 

 which happens to lie in their route, and may remember the startled way 

 in which, when about twenty or thirty yards off, they will alter their course 

 with a vigorous swish of the tail and sheer off confusedly from the danger. 

 Again, how eager they are to take advantage of the (probably) acuter 

 vision of terns and gulls, when they observe that either of the latter have 

 discovered a shoal of fish. Is it not therefore probable that cormorants 

 are naturally short-sighted ? a disadvantage for which they are amply 

 compensated by their superior diving powers." (Cruise, "Alert," 1893, 



pp. iio-in.) 



PHALACROCORAX ATRICEPS King. 



Phalacrocorax carunculatus, Stephens (nee Gm.) in Shaw's Gen. Zool. 

 xiii. p. 94 (1825: Staten Island): Gould Voy. Beagle, Birds, p. 145 

 (1841: Port St. Julian, Patagonia); Pelz. Reis, Novara, Vog. p. 159 

 (1865: Chiloe); Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1869, p. 284 (Straits of Magda- 

 lena); iid. Ibis, 1870, pp. 499, 500 (May ne Harbour: Port Churruca); 



