LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 



469 



he called the Large. Cormorant, and so, to make sure, I went 

 myself to-day and secured some 200 more eggs. 



The breeding ground was in the middle of a swamp called 

 the Samara Dhund, and the nests were placed on old withered 

 Tamarisk trees standing in water about 8 to 10 feet deep. The 

 nests were large platforms of sticks, about 2 feet in diameter 

 one way, and about 2 feet 6 inches the other way, that is, they 

 were more oval than circular. The eggs were laid on a thin 

 bedding of rush and grass, and the greatest number I got in one 

 nest was 7. Some had only 3, others 4, 5 and 6 ; the latter 

 seemed to be the normal number, though some nests had only 

 four young ones just hatched. It evidently was an old breeding 

 ground, as I could count three or four old nests under the present 

 ones, so that the nests were sometimes three feet thick. There 

 were no other kinds of Cormorants, nor in fact any kind of aquatic 

 bird, to be seen in the swamp except a few Pelicans. I shot six 

 of the birds, from whose nests I had taken eggs, and subjoin their 

 measurements. The birds were in different stages of plumage. 

 Some had their neck nearly white, with a large whitish patch 

 round the gape and on throat, also with a whitish patch 

 on the thigh, the rest of the plumage being black, with a sort of 

 bronze reflection. Others had the white hairs on the neck either 

 just disappearing or coming, I don't know which, and others 

 were quite devoid of white about the neck, but had the white 

 gular patch and thigh patch. I was very much astonished to 

 find so many as seven eggs in one nest, but there was no mis- 

 take, as I collected them all myself. The nests were only about 

 4 to 6 feet above water, so that I had nothing to do but stand 

 up in the boat and gather. The total length of the breeding 

 ground was about one mile by about 80 yards -wide. 



Dimensions. — 1005. Phalacrocorax carbo, Lin. 



•This bird was much lighter in color, especially on the breast, which showed a 

 good deal of white, apparently a young bird in immature plumage. 



Eastern Narra District, S. Doig. 



16th November 1878. 



