ISO MORGAN — Observation on Cormorants and Bird, Temperatures. 



a weedy bottom, so either the iiatheads must sometimes 

 invade the weeds, or the cormorants establish a special fishery 

 where they are numerous. The other nineteen stomachs con- 

 tained only vermin. 



The comparative rarity of females is rather remarkable. 

 Of the 35 birds dissected, only seven were females, and a pre- 

 vious trip of four birds dissected all were males. 



—Colours of Soft Parts.— 



No. 1 $ , Spot in front of eye, orange; space around eye, 

 blue; bill, upper mandible, yellowish white; ridge horn colour 

 becoming almost black at base; curved tip, brownish yellow; 

 lower mandible, light yellow; gular pouch, yellowish white. 

 This bird showed slight signs of breeding. 



No. 2 $ , Iris sea green; spot in front of eye, orange; space 

 around eye, pale yellow; top mandible, dark brown; lower, 

 yellowish, gular pouch, pale yellow. Showed no signs of 

 breeding. 



Nos. 3, 1, 5, and 6 same as No. 2. 



No. 8. S, bare space in front of eye, orange; bare space 

 around eye, blue; lower eyelid, green; gular pouch, pink; bill, 

 bluish black tip horn colour. 



No. 7 and 9 same as S; No. 10 to 15, same as No. 2; No. 16 

 to 18 same as 8. 



Nos. 16 to 18 same as 8. 



No. 19 9 , Bare spot in front of eye, orange, extending 

 round to the back of the eye; bare space below eye, very bright 

 iridescent shades of blue and green; gular pouch, purplish 

 red; bill, dark bluish black. This bird would have laid within 

 a fortnight. 



No. 20, 24, 25, 27, and 28 were the same as No. 8; No. 21 

 and 22 the same as No. 7. The iris was sea green, and the 

 legs and feet black in all the specimens. The reason for the 

 variation in the soft parts is obscure. Nos. 1 and 19 had 

 very brightly coloured soft parts with black bills, and No. 1 

 showed slight signs of breeding; No. 2, distinct signs, this 

 would seem to show that it was a breeding phase, but three 

 males examined by us in January last, had brilliant blue 

 periorbital spaces without showing any signs of breeding. 



