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  Letters, 
  E^rtrads, 
  Notices, 
  S^c. 
  

  

  a 
  Cormorant 
  breeding 
  there 
  wliicli 
  I 
  have 
  little 
  dovibt 
  is 
  

   Phalacrocorax 
  neglectus 
  (Wahlberg's 
  Cormorant) 
  . 
  It 
  appears 
  

   to 
  correspond 
  sufficiently 
  well 
  with 
  the 
  description 
  of 
  that 
  

   species 
  quoted 
  in 
  Sharpens 
  edition 
  of 
  Layard's 
  'Birds 
  of 
  

   South 
  Africa' 
  (p. 
  779) 
  from 
  Gurney's 
  'Birds 
  of 
  Damaraland 
  ' 
  

   (p. 
  369). 
  The 
  men 
  on 
  the 
  islands 
  call 
  them 
  "Bank 
  

   Duikers." 
  

  

  I 
  had 
  been 
  on 
  the 
  look-out 
  for 
  this 
  bird 
  for 
  some 
  time, 
  as 
  

  

  1 
  had 
  a 
  suspicion 
  that 
  it 
  might 
  prove 
  to 
  be 
  P. 
  neglectus. 
  I 
  

   had 
  occasionally 
  seen 
  Cormorants 
  which 
  were 
  apparently 
  

   neither 
  P. 
  capenns, 
  nor 
  P. 
  lucidus, 
  nor 
  P. 
  africanus, 
  but 
  I 
  

   had 
  never 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  obtain 
  a 
  specimen. 
  

  

  This 
  Cormorant 
  was 
  breeding 
  in 
  most 
  cases 
  in 
  small 
  colonies 
  

   by 
  itself, 
  but 
  in 
  one 
  instance 
  I 
  saw 
  its 
  nests 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  

   P. 
  capefisis 
  placed 
  together 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  rock. 
  On 
  Dassen 
  

   Island 
  P. 
  capensis 
  generally 
  makes 
  its 
  nest 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  

   but 
  all 
  the 
  nests 
  of 
  P. 
  neglectus 
  that 
  I 
  saw 
  were 
  placed 
  on 
  

   rocks 
  near 
  the 
  sea. 
  In 
  some 
  cases 
  they 
  were 
  stuck 
  or 
  

   balanced 
  on 
  the 
  top 
  or 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  rocks, 
  where 
  the 
  seaweed, 
  

   of 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  composed, 
  enabled 
  them 
  to 
  adhere. 
  Sea- 
  

   weed 
  usually 
  formed 
  the 
  whole 
  material 
  of 
  the 
  nest, 
  the 
  

   lining 
  being 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  finer 
  and 
  softer 
  material. 
  In 
  a 
  

   few 
  instances 
  the 
  foundation 
  of 
  the 
  nest 
  was 
  composed 
  of 
  

   the 
  coarse 
  dried 
  stems 
  of 
  a 
  plant 
  that 
  grows 
  on 
  the 
  island, 
  

   seaweed 
  forming 
  the 
  top 
  and 
  lining 
  of 
  the 
  nest. 
  P. 
  capensis, 
  

   on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  prefers 
  sticks 
  and 
  stalks 
  of 
  plants 
  when 
  

   they 
  are 
  obtainable. 
  

  

  In 
  shape 
  the 
  nests 
  of 
  P. 
  neglectus 
  were 
  cylindrical, 
  from 
  

  

  2 
  or 
  3 
  to 
  8 
  or 
  10 
  inches 
  in 
  height, 
  with 
  a 
  good 
  depression 
  at 
  

   the 
  top. 
  

  

  The 
  eggs 
  in 
  character 
  exactly 
  resemble 
  those 
  of 
  our 
  other 
  

   Cormorants. 
  They 
  average 
  larger 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  P. 
  capensis, 
  

   but 
  vary 
  in 
  size. 
  I 
  did 
  not 
  find 
  more 
  than 
  three 
  in 
  a 
  nest, 
  

   and 
  two 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  usual 
  number. 
  

  

  The 
  birds 
  were 
  very 
  tame 
  at 
  the 
  nest, 
  in 
  marked 
  contrast 
  

   to 
  P. 
  capensis 
  and 
  P. 
  lucidus. 
  I 
  had 
  actually 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  

   to 
  drive 
  them 
  off 
  the 
  nest 
  to 
  see 
  if 
  there 
  were 
  any 
  eggs, 
  and 
  

   found 
  sometimes 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  new 
  empty 
  nest 
  they 
  were 
  

   thus 
  guarding 
  ! 
  

  

  