The Bird Book 



shiny, black-skinned and naked, have scarcely 

 strength enough to hold up their heads ; while 

 others, covered with thick, close down resembling 

 fur, scramble away at our approach, half running, 

 half flying. 



The Cormorant's aversion to any fish that is 

 not perfectly fresh is well known, and, as it 

 catches more than it possibly can consume, the 

 accumulation of remnants decaying in the hot 

 sun soon becomes offensive to the nostrils. 

 What it is like by the time the young are 

 ready to fly, may be left to the imagination, 

 for they do not appear to mature rapidly. In the 

 case of a Shag's nest which I found recently, the 

 young remained at the nest for a whole month to 

 my knowledge, and it might have, been longer. 

 These birds closely resemble the Cormorant, but 

 are rather smaller and decidedly more handsome. 

 The green metallic sheen on their plumage has 

 earned them the name of Green Cormorant, and 

 a crest of feathers, which point forward, still 

 further enhances the bird's appearance. Gener- 

 ally the Shag breeds in caves, but my experience 

 has only been with those whose nests are in the 

 precipitous gullies which indent the western side 

 of Lundy, exposed to the full force of the Atlantic. 

 One of the most interesting of sea-birds, cer- 

 tainly one of the most difficult to observe, is the 

 Manx Shearwater, for it is mostly nocturnal in its 

 habits. On making the passage to Lundy, how- 

 118 



