PELECAMD^. 173 



its hill. The Steganopodes, or totipalmate hirds, include, 

 hesides the Gannets and Cormorants (of which we have 

 representatives in our Ornis), the Pelicans, the Frigate 

 and Tropic Birds, and the curious slender-necked Darters, 

 and in all these the whole of the toes, including the hind 

 one, are webbed, a structure not met with elsewhere 

 amongst birds, so that they form, on this account, a wcll- 

 marked and natural order. 



The Cormorant and the Sliag must be well-known birds 

 to people residin<? on or visiting the sea-coast, where 

 strings of their dark-looking and long-necked forms will 

 be often noticed speeding with rapid flight over the 

 surface of the sea not far from the cliffs, and, occasionally 

 alighting, commencing to dive for fish beneath the waves. 

 But when hidden from view they are chasing their finny 

 prey with their wings, and are flying as much below 

 the water, and almost with the same degree of swift- 

 ness, as when threading their path through the air. It 

 is owing to this power which they possess that they 

 are so expert in capturing fish ; the Cormorant, in par- 

 ticular, is greatly to be dreaded when it ascends the 

 streams after freshwater fish, as nothing can escape it, as 

 it flies under water in pursuit faster than the trout can 

 swim, and follows them into their hovers. As is well 

 known, Cormorants are commonly trained so as to make 

 them serviceable in catching fish ; they become singularly 

 docile, returning always to their masters with their cap- 

 tures, and a ring fitted round their throat prevents them 

 from appropriating their spoil should they feel inclined 

 to do so. The Gannet, another expert fisherman, and a 

 powerful and singular-looking bird, captures liis fish after 

 another fashion. Poising himself in the air above any 

 school of fish his keen eyes may have detected, suddenly 

 his gleaming white form maybe seen to descend with grrat 



