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not too large a size, trout, carp, bream, and especially eels, for which last fish it evinces a great 

 partiality. The Chinese have long used Cormorants for fishing, and have them in excellent 

 training; and in England they have also been used for the same purpose; and even now Mr. F. H. 

 Salvin, the well-known falconer, keeps trained Cormorants. Pennant relates that he had a cast 

 of Cormorants, one of which was presented to him by Mr. Wood, Master of the Cormorants to 

 Charles I. When taken out to fish the birds have a collar round their neck, which prevents 

 them swallowing the fish they catch ; and when they have caught a sufficient quantity the collar 

 is taken off' and they are allowed to fish for themselves. 



A very good account of a Cormorant in a state of domestication is given by Dr. Saxby (B. of 

 Shetl. pp. 316-318) as follows: — "The Cormorant is very easily domesticated, and when treated 

 with kindness will become exceedingly docile, exhibiting a very high degree of intelligence, and 

 an amount of affection scarcely to be expected from a bird which in its wild state is remarkable 

 for its extreme shyness of man. Some years ago a very young male was taken from one of the 

 North Skerries and brought to Halligarth, where he soon became a most interesting pet. At 

 first he required careful feeding ; for it was some weeks before he became aware that opening his 

 bill was the necessary preliminary to every meal. He would appear eager for food, and, uttering 

 the usual peculiar cry, would strike at whatever was offered him, but with his bill closed ; and in 

 this manner he would have starved, but for human aid. Afterwards he caused but little trouble ; 

 but when the Ducks were fed he would rush boldly in among them, appropriate any thing in the 

 shape of fish or flesh that happened to suit his fancy ; but he never would eat salted food. Some- 

 times, also, when he saw a boy coming to the house with fish he would waylay him, and, if no 

 contributions were then offered, he would speedily settle the matter by helping himself. One 

 day, when food was scarce and he had been fasting for many hours, I happened to pass by 

 carrying a number of Starlings, one of which I tossed at him, but scarcely with the expectation 

 that it would be accepted. However, he caught it cleverly before it could reach the ground, 

 and the next instant it disappeared down his capacious throat. Another followed, and was 

 treated in the same way; then more, until no less than five had been thus disposed of. This 

 number seemed to satisfy him ; and, the whole neck being enormously distended, it was with 

 difficulty that he waddled away to his favourite corner of the coal-shed, where I left him sitting, 

 face to the wall, upon a lump of coal, the legs of the last Starling still projecting from the corner 

 of his mouth. After this a bird was always a favourite morsel, and he would follow me for a 

 long distance when I happened to be carrying a gun. Once 1 gave him, for a single meal, two 

 Buntings, a Twite, a Sparrow, two Snow-Buntings, and a Kinged Plover; and even then he 

 followed me for more. Birds, fish, and mice were always swallowed head foremost. During 

 the first two years he kept almost entirely to the ground, only occasionally sitting upon a stone 

 or low wall ; but afterwards the roof of the house was preferred, from which elevated position 

 he used suddenly to pounce down, either to rob a fish-basket or to scatter a company of feeding 

 Ducks. But this was merely as a diversion, not as a necessity ; for from the time of his first 

 taking up his position on the roof he also began regularly to procure his own meals, flying to 

 the voe for that purpose, and after remaining there for an hour or two, returning to his former 

 station by the chimney. He never showed any desire to escape, but, on the contrary, he became 

 more and more attached to his human friends. Strangers who attempted to handle him ran the 



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