26 



KEARTONS' NATURE PICTURES 



COKMOKANT'S NEST AND KOOS. 



our coast wherever suitable accommoda- 

 tion can be found on ledges of maritime 

 cliffs, low rocky islands, such as the 

 Fames off the coast of Northumberland, 

 in trees growing upon islands in inland 

 lakes, and even amongst long grass 

 where no trees grow. The nest is gener- 

 ally a bulky structure composed of sticks, 

 twigs, seaweed, turf, and coarse grass. 

 Building operations commence in April, 

 but when visiting a large colony as late 

 as the middle of July I have seen some 

 birds still busy bringing seaweed, and 

 others sitting on fresh eggs, whilst their 

 earlier friends had fast-feathering young 

 ones wandering about the island. The 



eggs, numbering from three to six, are 

 pale blue in colour when the coating of 

 chalk has been scraped away and the 

 true shell revealed. 



Young Cormorants when newly 

 hatched are of a bluish-black colour, 

 and without a particle of down upon 

 their shiny nigger-like little bodies. 



A Cormorant's breeding colony is not 

 exactly a pleasant place to visit, espe- 

 cially late in the season, for the offensive 

 stench from droppings and decomposing 

 fish is well nigh unendurable. 



During my last visit to the principal 

 Fame Islands Cormorant station which 

 is so low that occasionally every nest is 

 washed away by a high tide and a strong 

 north-easterly breeze I saw several 

 common guillemots' eggs lying about on 

 the rock. They had been so much be- 

 fouled by the droppings of the legitimate 

 owners of the place that they were only 

 recognisable by their shape. 



Young Cormorants are excessively 

 nervous, and upon the approach of a 

 visitor disgorge their last meal and 

 tremble all over in the most violent and 

 distressing manner. 



