COMMON CORMORANT. 459 



their terrors, and now, crawling backwards, I leave them to resume their 

 ordinary state of peaceful security. 



It was on the 3d of July 1833, about three in the morning, that I 

 had the pleasure of witnessing the scene described above. I was aware 

 before that a colony of Cormorants had nestled on the ledges of the great 

 rocky wall that separated our harbour of Whapatiguan from the waters 

 of the Gulf of St Lawrence. A strong gale had ruffled the sea, and the 

 waves dashed with extreme violence against the rocks, to which circum- 

 stance, I believe, was owing my having remained a while unseen and 

 unheard so near the birds, which were not more than four or five yards 

 below me. The mother fondled and nursed her young with all possible 

 tenderness, disgorged some food into the mouth of each, and coaxed them 

 with her bill and wings. The little ones seemed very happy, billed with 

 their mother, and caressed her about the breast. When the parent bird 

 flew off on observing me, the young seemed quite frightened, squatted at 

 once on their broad nest, and then crawled with the aid of their bills un- 

 til they reached a recess where they remained concealed. 



On another occasion, my young friends Lincoln and Cooledge 

 along with my son, went to the same rocks, for the purpose of brino-ing 

 me a nest and some of the young Cormorants. They reported that, in 

 one instance, they surprised the parent birds close beneath them, appa- 

 rently asleep, resting on their rumps in an upright position, with the head 

 thrust under the wing, and that, had they had a noose attached to their 

 poles, they might have secured at least one of them, but that after a few 

 minutes one drew out her head, stretched her neck, and after looking 

 around flew off croaking, so as to alarm all her neighbours. 



We saw no nests of this species placed in any other situations than 

 the highest shelves of the precipitous rocks fronting the water and havino- 

 a southern exposure. No other Cormorants bred on the spots of which 

 this kind had taken possession ; but Ravens and Peregrine Falcons were 

 observed to have nests on the same rocks, and in some instances close to 

 them. The nests were formed of a quantity of small dry sticks, matted 

 in a rude manner with a large quantity of weeds and moss, to a thickness 

 of four or five inches in new nests, and in others to that of a foot or more • 

 for we observed that this species, as well as the Double- crested and the 

 Florida Cormorants, repair and enlarge their tenements each season, and 

 return to the same rocks many years in succession, as was shewn by their 

 places of resort remaining whitewaslied with excrements through the Avin- 



