130 The Stork-like Birds 



communities, often of considerable size. The place selected varies somewhat with 

 the different species and also according to the exigencies of the situation, some 

 choosing a rocky cliff facing the sea and others low trees and bushes along low- 

 lying shores. The fcest is usually a rude affair placed on the bare rock or ground 

 or raised on a slight mound of sticks and weeds, or when placed in bushes of 

 sticks loosely put together. The eggs are from three to five in number, of rather 

 large size and pale pinkish green, with a rough crust or coating of calcareous 

 matter. The young are very ungainly and awkward when first born and are 

 quite helpless for some time. They feed themselves by thrusting their heads 

 well down into their parents' throats and " extracting the half-digested fish from 

 their stomachs." 



Cormorants possess a considerable degree of intelligence and may be readily 

 tamed if taken when young, evincing a warm regard for their owner. In some 

 parts of the world, notably in China, they are taught to fish for their master. 

 The young birds, or those not perfectly trained, have a strap or cord placed 

 around the neck to prevent their swallowing the fish taken, and they soon learn 

 to bring all captures to their master. After securing a sufficient quantity the 

 strap is removed and they are permitted to fish for themselves. These trained 

 birds usually last for about five years and have a considerable value, a well- 

 trained male bringing some six or seven dollars. 



Harris's Cormorant. In 1898 a remarkable flightless Cormorant (Phala- 

 crocorax or Nannopterum harrisi] was described from the Galapagos Islands. 

 So far as then known it was found only on the north shore of Narborough Island, 

 where it frequented the surf, being very shy and difficult to approach. It is the 

 largest known Cormorant, being if anything larger than the extinct Pallas's Cor- 

 morant. The mature bird is brownish black above and a mixture of pale brown 

 and gray below, with the tail black, and the wing-quills blackish brown with 

 grayish tips on the outer margin. The feathers are soft and quite incapable of 

 supporting the bird in flight, being of about the size of those of the Great Auk. 

 The true Cormorants possess eleven primaries in the wings, only ten of which 

 are functional, while in the Harris's Cormorant there are also eleven primaries, 

 but the two outer are very greatly reduced, leaving only nine that are functional. 

 There are also numerous differences in the skeleton, showing that the loss of flight 

 has produced important modifications. They are reported as being abundant 

 in the surf and on the shore and rocks of Narborough Island, and less numer- 

 ous on Albemarle Island. "When on shore they sit in an upright position and 

 often extend the wings with their planes vertical, somewhat in the manner of 

 Vultures while digesting their food. In the water they have a very graceful 

 appearance, carrying the neck bent in a very Swan-like fashion. The adults 

 never were heard to make any sound. The food consists largely of devil-fish, 

 which the birds obtain by diving. Some were observed swallowing devil-fish 

 more than a foot in length. Fish also form a part of their food. The young are 

 fed by the parents' disgorged food until they have attained nearly adult size." 

 The nests were made of cone-shaped masses of seaweed about a foot high. 



