LITTLE CORMORANT. 181 



considerable height; and the white dung which they 

 constantly deposit gives the nest the appearance of having 

 been coarsely plastered with lime. They lay towards 

 the end of May five or six eggs, rarely more. The 

 male and female alternately incubate." 



The Little Cormorant is not the smallest of its genus, 

 and therefore, as Temminck has observed, the name 

 Pygmceus is inappropriate. It is, however, much 

 smaller than the Shag, S. graculus, and differs from it 

 strongly in the size of the beak, and length of the 

 tail and dorsal plumage. It is altogether a smaller 

 made bird, and no mistake can be made between the 

 two when compared together. It is. more than probable 

 that the young of the Shag has been taken for it, 

 and hence may have arisen the statement of its having 

 been captured in Great Britain. 



This bird differs in plumage according to age and 

 season more than sex. The male and female have all 

 the plumage of a lustrous greenish black; the border 

 which surrounds the feathers of the back and wings 

 of a brilliant black, which seems highly polished; very 

 fine white streaks appear on the neck, head, and thighs: 

 these are the shafts, and are only feathered at their 

 end, so that they form upon all the indicated j^^rts 

 very small whitish dots. These partially barbed feathers 

 are only seen during the period of reproduction; they 

 disappear before the autumnal moult. The occipital 

 plumes are elongated into a crest, like the Cormorant 

 or Shag. Primaries and tail feathers of a dark 

 greenish black; beak, naked parts of the eyelids, and 

 throat black; feet blackish grey. 



In winter there is no crest or white feathers about 

 the head, neck, and thighs, but there are some white 

 points about the eyebrows. 



VOL. IV. 2 A 



