IN AUDUBON'S LABRADOR 



the cormorants rarely ascended the rivers be- 

 yond the tidal influence. Of thirty-two stom- 

 achs examined, fifteen contained sculpins; 

 five, herrings; two, tom-cod; and one each, 

 capelin and eels ; the others were empty or the 

 contents were unrecognizable. The birds with 

 empty stomachs had been fishing where there 

 were no sculpins. The number of salmon in the 

 rivers has been increasing of late years, and 

 with this there has been an increase in the num- 

 ber of cormorants. Mr. Tavemer concludes, 

 therefore, that the birds are not harmful to 

 salmon, and that they may even be beneficial 

 by weeding out the weak and unfit fish. A 

 vigorous young salmon is so difficult to catch 

 that the sluggish bottom-feeding sculpins are 

 preferred. It is to be hoped that the clubs 

 will withdraw their offer of twenty-five cents 

 a head for cormorants. 



To persuade the average man that any liv- 

 ing species is worth preserving unless it has 

 some obvious value to mankind is a difficult 

 task. A friend of mine was watching the nest 

 and eggs of a Virginia rail, until a barbarian 

 in the form of a small boy found and deliber- 

 ately destroyed them. When remonstrated 



104 



