212 THE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



or Green Cormorant to a certain extent undoubtedly 

 is. The Cormorant, when not molested, becomes 

 very fearless and careless of the neighbourhood of 

 man, but is naturally a very wary and cunning bird. 

 In captivity the tameness of this species is often 

 troublesome, and his greedy and morose nature 

 render him a nuisance amongst pinioned water- 

 fowl of milder temperament; one that I kept for 

 some time at Lilford, constantly amused himself 

 by seizing the feet of Swans, Geese, and, I believe, 

 Pelicans under water, thereby laming them seriously, 

 and, besides this crime, devoured all the ducklings 

 that he could find. I have very recently received 

 a letter from Mr. W. Bazeley, of Sheep Street, North- 

 ampton, in which he informs me that a bird of this 

 species, killed at Naseby on August 27, 1891, had 

 been sent to him for preservation. 



Since the above article was in print, Mr. E. 

 C. Burton, of The Lodge, Daventry, has most kindly 

 presented to me an immature specimen of this 

 species, stuffed, with the information that it was 

 shot by his son on Daventry Reservoir on March 31st, 

 1891. 



198. SHAG, CRESTED or GREEN 

 CORMORANT. 



Phalacrocorax graculus. 



It is a somewhat remarkable fact that this species, 

 which is not a common bird at any season of the 

 year on our eastern coasts, and certainly much more 

 strictly maritime in its haunts and habits than the 

 Common Cormorant, should have occurred so fre- 

 quently in our county as to almost entitle it to rank 



