J,., 



PHALACROCORACID.E — THE COllMOKANTS - rilALACROCOUAX. 



147 



covfrts black, slightly glossy ; primaries and tail dusky, the shafts of the rectrices dull light ashy, 

 |iaii'r basally. Head, neck, and jiigulum dull grayish brown, the pileum and nape blackish dusky, 

 tin; upper part of the throat brownish white ; remaining lower parts brownish dusky, mixed with 

 « liiti; along the median line. Young, in vnnter : Similar to the al)ove, but upper part of throat, 

 jiiLtulum, breast, and middle of the abdomen white, streaked, except on the first, with grayish 

 briiwn ; pileum, nape, sides of the neck, and niidiUe of the foreneck grayish brown.* Nestling : 

 "The inside of the mouth and the gularsac flesh-colored ; the bill dusky, at the base flesh-colored ; 

 the eyes bluish gray. The general color of their skin is dull livid ; the feet purplish dusky, the 

 webs yellowish lirown" (AuDunoN). 



Total length, about 37.t)0 inches ; extent, 40.W ; wing, 12.90-14.00 ; tail, 7.25-7.75 ; culmen, 

 i.30-2.85 ; tarsus, 2.51 ; outer toe, 3.47. (Average of lour specimens, 13.84, 7..50, 2.57, 2.51, 

 ;!.47,) 



We have not been able to erimine sutticient material to enable us to decide whether, to our 

 mind, American examples of this species are separable from Europeim. 



The Common Cormorant appears to be a bird of very general distribution through- 

 out nearly the whole northern hemisphere — breeding in high northern regions, wan- 

 dt'ring southward in the winter, and occurring also irregidarly in places distant from 

 its usual resort. It is found in Greenland and Labrador, in North America, in summer, 

 and along the Atlantic coast in winter. It breeds in Northern Europe and Asia, and 

 waiulers in winter to the Mediterranean, to India, to China, to Jai)an, and even to 

 Australia. Though met with on the eastern shores of Asia, I cannot tind that any 

 are rejjorted from the western coast of North America. 



The Cormorant is almost exclusively confined to the sea-coast and large rivers, 

 and is only occasionally seen on inland waters. Like the Pelican, the Gannet, and 

 the Hooby, it is a fisher, and lives exclusively upon the food it tlius catches. Its 

 jpluniage, its general structure, and its powerful hooked bill are admirably adapted 

 for this mode of life. 



It is given by Keinhardt as a regular resident of Greenland, breeding on its coast, 

 and continuing there the greater part of the year. It was also met with by Dr. 

 Walker on the same coast, near Gudthaab. Audubon and Dr. Bryant found it 

 breeding in considerable numbers in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and on the coast of 

 Labrador. 



The Messrs. Godman found this bird abundant on all the i-slands off the coast of 

 Norway, where it was breeding indiscriminately in company with the common Crested 

 Shag. It is also given by Middendorff as occurring in Siberia, in the northern 

 barrens, or timdran. 



Lieutenant Sperling mentions finding this species abinulant in the Mediterranean. 

 On the morning of December G, when shooting Ducks on the coast of (Jreece, he 

 saw a large flock of Cormorants — not less than two thousand in number — pass- 

 ing close over his head as he was lying concealed; they appeared to be flying 

 in a southeast direction. Mr. Sauiulers found this species common in Southern 

 Spain, Avhere, during the winter, it was very generally distributed along the coast and 

 on the principal rivers. Captain G. E. Shelley found it abundant throughout Egypt 

 during the winter ; l)ut did not observe any in Nubia, nor did he meet with any after 

 March. Dr. A. L. Adams speaks of finding this bird in large numbers below Thebes, 



1 These two descriptions of the young lue taken froni two European examples without dates on their 

 labels. They may be of tlio same age, and the diirerences of colomtion <lue to individiud variation ; but 

 jiulging from analogy in the case of P. dihphun, tlio whiter tlio lower part.s, the greater the oge of the 

 iinlividual — the black of the ndiilt driss a[)in'aring in spots the following, or possibly not until the 

 thiiil, year. 



