460 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
Passing on, still in the alder plantations, we came to the 
place from whence the flock must have risen when we first came 
to the locality ; and we were not long in finding the main colony, 
which consisted of perhaps fifty nests. Nearly all of them were 
on the ground, and within a radius of some twenty yards. Some 
contained one egg, others two, for they had probably all been 
robbed on the Saturday previous to our visit. Most of the nests 
were on grassy tussocks, but a few were in the alder trees; and 
the effluvium from the droppings of the birds was so strong that 
we should have discovered the locality at once had not a strong 
gale been blowing all the day. Upon our invasion of their 
nesting-place most of the birds flew right away, but small parties 
of five or six were always on the wing near at hand. Their 
powerful heron-like wings enabled them to sail along for con- 
siderable distances without much exertion; and I noticed that 
they had a habit of dropping their legs occasionally, probably to 
assist them in keeping their balance in the high wind. We 
selected a fine series of eggs, and then turned our attention to 
the hitherto neglected Cormorants. 
This colony was on the open ground near the lake. As we 
approached we occasionally found a few outlying nests, built in 
the willow-bushes which were here and there growing in the 
marsh. The main colony was an interesting sight. A bare 
piece of ground, with a radius of not more than six or seven 
yards, contained two hundred nests, in many places touching 
each other. The nests were piles of sticks and reeds from one to 
four feet high, and lined with a small quantity of fresh grass. 
Every year it would seem that a new nest was built upon the 
remains of the old one, and the locality has apparently been 
occupied for many years. All traces of vegetation has long ago 
been burnt off by the superabundance of manure; the ground 
and the sides of the nests were white with the droppings of the 
birds, and scattered here and there were fishes, some half-a-pound 
in weight, and in various stages of decomposition. Most of the 
nests were empty, perhaps fifty of them containing one egg each. 
When we first came up the birds were on the nests, and the place 
was black with them; but as we approached they rose, and, after 
flying round for some little time, alighted on the lake. We 
counted the nests, selected a few eggs, and made notes on the 
interesting scene, during which time we were occasionally visited 
