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above the surface. An elastic piece of wood, with a noose attached, is placed on the main pile, 

 and serves to trap the Cormorants and Darters, which come to rest on them." Mr. Ayres says 

 (Ibis, 1862, p. 154) that the " flight of this bird is rapid and strong. When in the water it swims 

 extremely low, scarcely any part of its back being then visible. Both in the air and on the water 

 it much resembles the Anhinga (Plohis levaillantii) in appearance. It is a very superior diver, 

 and feeds entirely on fish ; if disturbed, instead of diving, it generally seeks safety on the wing. 

 It is solitary in its habits, and, like the Anhinga, is particularly fond of sunning itself with out- 

 stretched wings on some clump of rushes." Von Heuglin (I. c.) says that he doubts if it ever 

 migrates in North-east Africa, where it is very generally found in larger and smaller companies 

 in the large morasses, lakes, half-dried-up streams, and even ponds. It does not swim much, but 

 prefers to sit in wait for its prey on a branch or reed, or on a rock. Nor does it feed solely on 

 fish, as he has found frogs and even grasshoppers in its stomach. It is not so shy as, but more 

 active than its congeners. Its flight is swift and direct, somewhat resembling that of a Duck ; 

 and when surprised it seldom dives, but takes flight at once. He further remarks that he has on 

 several occasions seen it consorting with Ducks and Anhingas. 



Some interesting notes respecting the present species have lately been published by Mr. J. H. 

 Gurney, jun. (Rambl. of a Naturalist, p. 240), which I transcribe as follows : — " Some of these 

 birds we shot were in immature or perhaps still in winter plumage, and had all the underparts, 

 except the vent, white ; others were curiously mottled black and white ; and others again were in 

 full breeding-plumage. Some of the latter had the flesh on the forehead raised in a very singular 

 manner ; but on looking at my skins I see that it has shrunk down very much. These birds had 

 also crests ; but the strangest thing about them is a sharp bone, half an inch long, at the back of 

 the head, which can be felt projecting under the skin. It was great sport shooting them in the 

 evening, which may easily be clone as they come flying down the Bar-el-Wady canal, which 

 unites the Bar-Joseph to the lake (Fayoom). . Here one of us would hide behind the stunted 

 bushes ; and as they passed with great regularity we knew exactly what time to look out for them. 

 It is necessary to see them a long way off, as they are rather shy, and to keep well hidden ; but 

 sometimes the specks which we took to be Cormorants turned out to be only Buff-backs, though 

 generally they flew in more straggling flocks. Now and again a single bird would come stealing 

 low over the water, or a pair would pass us out of range. They would probably be on their way 

 to a bed of tamarisks, a mile out in the lake, where they intended nesting with the Buff-backed 

 Herons. We saw a few sitting upon nests ; but they had evidently not begun to lay, and, indeed, 

 they may only have been using empty nests as a convenient perching-place. They took up a 

 position on higher boughs than the Buff-backs ; and often seven or eight were perched on the top 

 of the same tamarisk. All the nests there resembled each other, and were built of the same 

 materials; so that I judged they were all those of Buff-backs or belonged to some species of 

 Heron. I saw a Buff-back settle upon one, on which a moment before a Cormorant had been. 

 They are such expert divers that of the first six shot by my friend only one was bagged. When 

 not fat they are very easy to skin." 



In mode of nidification the present species is said to agree closely with Phalacrocorax 

 pygmwus ; and its eggs doubtless resemble those of that species ; but I have been unable to obtain 

 any for examination. 



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