THE CORMORANT. 285 



north as Kamtschatka and the Gulf of Bothnia, according to 

 Acerbi. But when residents of high latitudes, they migrate 

 southward on the approach of cold weather. In the winter 

 season they frequent the coast of Cornwall, and are found, in 

 fact, in every part of the British and Irish Channel, generally 

 keeping out at sea. They are constant attendants on the large 

 quantities of herrings and pilchards that frequent our coast late 

 in autumn. 



This bird takes its prey by darting down on it with great 

 velocity ; yet it does not appear to dive swimming, it floats 

 upon the water with the buoyancy of a gull, not submerged, as 

 is the case with the Shag and Cormorant. 



Three species of them are known : the Solan Goose, or Gannet 

 (Sula Hassan), which is very common on the Bass Rock, a small 

 islet in the Firth of Forth, and on the northern islands this is 

 the only European species; the Common Gannet (Sula dactylatra), 

 vulgarly called " Mouche de Yelours " this is smaller than the 

 preceding, and is found in the Island of Ascension ; the Brown 

 Gannet (Sulafusca), which inhabits South America. 



THE CORMORANT (Phalacrocorax). 



ENGLISH SYNONYMS. Cormorant: Willoughby, Albin, Montagu. Great 

 Cormorant : Bewick, Tarrell. Crested Cormorant : Bewick. Cormorant : 

 Shaw, Latham, Lewin, Walcot, Pultney. Provincial : Great Black Cor- 

 vorant, Cole Goose, Skart, Green Cormorant, Norie. 



LATIN SYNONYMS. Carlo carboranus: Meyer. Pelicanus carlo: Linn., 

 Latham, Gwellin. Corvus aquaticus : Ray, Willoughby. Phalacrocorax : 

 Brisson, Temminck, Cuvier, Bonaparte. Halicus : Illiger. Hydrocorax : 

 Vieillot. 



The Cormorant is distinguished by a bill straight and com- 

 pressed, the upper mandible curving downwards, and forming a 

 hook at the termination ; lower mandible inserted in a small mem- 

 brane extending under the throat ; feet strong, short ; toes three 

 before and one behind, united by a membrane ; nail of the middle 

 toe serrated ; wings moderate, the first quill longer than the 

 second, the whole being blackish ; the upper part of the back 

 and wings ashy brown, or bronzed in the middle, bordered by 

 a large band of glossy greenish black. 



