Order V. Steganopodes 



133 



Family PELECANID^, or Cormorants and Gannets 



The Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) is an inter- 

 esting though ugly bird of a general black hue, but the 

 throat is white, as is a patch on the thighs in spring. 

 It has a very long hooked beak and yellow pouch 

 below it, while its great length makes it a conspicuous 

 object as it passes with low and laboured flight over 

 the sea from one resting place to another. The back 



Cormorants and nests 



of the head bears a sort of crest in spring, but this is 

 very different from the frontal crest of the Shag, which 

 moreover lacks the bronzy tint adorning the Cormorant's 

 back. Both species have a croaking note and dive 

 deep under water to catch the fish on which they feed. 

 The nest is an immense mass of sea-weed when it is 

 built on islands or ledges of cliffs, but consists of sticks 

 and softer substances when on a tree or bush. Colonies 

 are invariably formed, but are rarely found inland in 



