210 THE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



rushes or sedge. The eggs are generally three or 

 four in number, of the same shape at both ends, and 

 are generally covered with a coating of white chalky 

 material, which is easily removed with a knife, the 

 true shell being of a delicate pale green-blue ; I 

 have, however, more than once found eggs without 

 any of this chalky layer upon them. The young are 

 born blind and naked, but are very soon covered with 

 black down, and are taken down to the water by the 

 old birds (on their backs, j^c/^ 4th Edition of Yarrell) 

 long before they can fly ; I cannot personally vouch 

 for this, or, indeed, for any other method of con- 

 veyance, but I have very frequently chased young 

 Cormorants that, although perfectly at home upon 

 and under the water, were totally incapable of flight. 

 A very excellent account of the changes of plumage 

 in this species, as observed in the Zoological Gardens 

 of London, will be found in Vol. iv. of the work from 

 which I have just quoted, but with reference to the 

 statement there made to the efiect that " the adult 

 plumage is not acquired until nearly the end of the 

 third year," I must say that, from my own experience, 

 I consider that in captivity it is rarely fully acquired 

 during the flrst five years, and from the number of 

 birds to be seen at the breeding-places in early 

 summer with hardly any white about them, I am 

 disposed to think that even in a wild state the 

 Cormorant takes more than three years to attain 

 fully adult plumage. The diving-powers of this 

 species are marvellous, and its capacity for food 

 almost equally astonishing ; as in the case of most 

 very ravenous birds, the Cormorant is easily tamed, 

 and may be trained to a certain extent to take fishes 

 for the benefit of its master ; this method of fishing 



