70 E. LÖNNBERG, CDNTRIBUTIONS TO THE FAUNA OF SOUTH GEORGIA. 



The largest of the young ones preserved has a total length of about 60 cm. 

 Although it has attained such a size it is still in down, but the white feathers of 

 the under parts begin to shine through. On the back the feathers are less developed 

 and not at all visible with the exception of the scapulars. The quills and greater co- 

 verts are also developed to some extent. The tail is already about 12 cm., owing to 

 its great importance for the support of the bird when it stånds. The colour of the 

 down is dark grey, somewhat lighter on breast and belly but decidely darker on the 

 head and neck. A very interesting characteristic is the presence on the head of some 

 scattered white downs which although less numerous give a similar impression as the 

 white filoplumae of the Common cormorant in full plumage. 



The other young nestling is about 48 cm. long. Its tail-feathers have not at- 

 tained a greater length than 3 cm. and are the only feathers developed. Otherwise 

 this young is fully clothed in down of the same colour as in the larger young, except 

 that there are several tufts of whitish down on the under parts. The white and 

 somewhat silky »filoplumae» are much more numerous, than in the larger young, on 

 the head of this one and extend över the nape and upper neck. On the throat 

 there are only some few, and on the före neck as well only a small number. 



The nasal caruncles are not yet developed, as such, in either of these specimens, 

 but nevertheless present in the shape of a kind of coarse granules reminding one of 

 the scales of some lizards. The area below and behind the eye is naked and pre- 

 sents a somewhat scaly appearance with the tip of a beginning down projecting be- 

 hind each scale. 



The just hatched young collected the 17th of Jan. is quite naked. 



The eggs of this cormorant are påle bluish green with an imperfect coat of 

 white chalky matter. They are elongate, sometimes almost fusiform but with com- 

 paratively blunt ends. The measurements of three eggs, belonging to one and the 

 same set, are resp. 64 x39; 70x38; 66x40 mm., and of a fourth egg from another 

 set 64 x 39 mm. 



At the foot of Mount Duse the cormorants bred in a small colony of about 

 10 — 12 pair. The rather large nests were built of tussok-grass and situated on led- 

 ges of the rocks high above the surface of the sea. Each set of eggs consisted of 

 3. Exceptionally two eggs were seen in a nest by Sörling, but never four. 



Both parents help to feed the y oungs according to Söeling's observations. 



On the Shag Rocks, W. of South Georgia, the Swedish Expedition 1901 — 1903 

 found a large colony of cormorants probably belonging to this same race, but no 

 specimens were caught there (8). Whether the cormorants of the South Shetland 

 Islands and Graham land are representatives of the typical atriceps, or not, cannot be 

 decided for reasons already mentioned. The Shag of the South Orkneys is described 

 by W. Eagle Clarke (21) as true atriceps. 



The German Expedition 1882 — 83 observed only few cormorants on South Ge- 

 orgia so that they do not appear to be numerous there. In the true antarctic lands 

 and islands (Graham land, South Shetland and neighbouring islands) visited by the 

 Swedish Expedition the rookeries were inhabited by thousands of specimens. K. A, 



