5678 Birds. 



birds continually passing and repassing was wonderful, and as we 

 approached the high cliffs more were to be seen sitting on convenient 

 ledges, which, when disturbed by a shot or otherwise, would ap- 

 parently drop, or, as it were, dive through the air into the water below, 

 These birds, I should suppose, frequent that coast during the year, 

 but their numbers must be very greatly increased at the commence- 

 ment of winter. There were at least two kinds, the common cormorant 

 (Carbo cormoranus) and the green cormorant or shag (Carbo crlstatus), 

 but I should think that this latter species makes up but a very small 

 proportion of the immense numbers of the whole. I had a good op- 

 portunity of observing one of these, which was knocked over by a 

 graze in the throat from a bullet which had killed another ; he died 

 after three weeks' captivity. The common cormorant is by no means 

 an inactive bird on the wing : I observed one mount in the air almost 

 vertically to a considerable height in a very short space of time ; but 

 when flying at sea, they usually keep in a horizontal direction not much 

 above the water. When seen high above land their flight is not very 

 unlike that of geese, but they may be distinguished by the quick 

 flappings and occasional sailing. Great numbers used to congregate 

 in the small harbour of Balaclava, and when there was no shooting 

 allowed they were very tame. 



Pelicans, which were described as pure white, were seen at Kertch 

 in large numbers during autumn, there being usually from five to ten 

 in each flock. 



Laridce. 



Any one who has shot specimens of gulls or terns, when he has had 

 no opportunity of comparing them with others, will I think agree with 

 me that they are a most difficult tribe of birds to identify from written 

 descriptions or even drawings ; their plumage varies so much with age 

 and sex, besides their habits being often difficult of observation. 



The terns should first in order be taken, but I cannot identify a 

 single species ; however, while riding along the harbour of Sebastopol 

 with a friend who had a good knowledge of British birds, we observed 

 some terns all white, except dark brown or black heads : this was near 

 the end of April; and about the beginning of May he saw three 

 different kinds seated on a log in the water, one of which he described 

 as very small. 



Of the true gulls I have only identified three species, one of which 

 is the widely distributed species, the herring gull ( Larus argentatus), 

 of which I examined some specimens in winter and spring, one of 



