KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



147 



NOTES UPON OUR LARGE BIRDS. 



THE GREAT CORMORANT. 



The habits of this bird are very 

 curious — so curious that they deserve a place 

 in our Journal. The subjoined particu- 

 lars are gleaned from Audubon, Macgil- 

 livray, Dr. Edmonston, Low, Temminck, and 

 others. 



The great cormorant occurs in consider- 

 able numbers, here and there, on all our 

 rocky coasts ; frequenting bold headlands, 

 high cliffs, and rugged insular crags. It 

 generally keeps apart from the crested cor- 

 morant, and, when the two species occur in 

 the same locality, assumes a more elevated 

 station — the other betaking itself to the caves, 

 or perching on the lower shelves. At certain 

 states of the tide — chiefly, I think, says Mac- 

 gillivray, about low water, and not at any 

 particular time of the day, for I have ob- 

 served them early in the morning, at noon, 

 and in the evening — the cormorants may be 

 seen standing lazily on the rocks, some with 

 outspread wings, as if sunning themselves, 

 or drying their plumage; others reposing, 

 with the head under one of their wings, or 

 directed forwards on their retracted neck. 

 Should a boat approach them they soon be- 

 come alarmed, raise one foot after the other, 

 and throw their long necks about in a singu- 

 lar manner ; straining themselves to see the 

 intruders, their sight being apparently not 

 very clear in the open air, however penetrat- 

 ing in the water. I have thought it remark- 

 able, that they will allow a vessel propelled 

 by steam to pass much nearer than an ordi- 

 nary boat, without removing ; but this is 

 equally the case with many other sea-birds. 

 When fairly alarmed, they take to wing ; 

 launching in a curved line, and then flying 

 low over the water, with a moderately quick, 

 sedate, and even flight, usually in silence. 



Sometimes, however, they plunge head- 

 long into the water, and emerge at a great 

 distance. I have never seen them alight 

 on land anywhere but on rock ; and there, 

 besides being restrained by the nature of 

 the place, their motions are awkward, they 

 not being at all fitted for walking. They 

 alight heavily, and rather abruptly, keep 

 in a much inclined position, and seldom 

 remove to any distance. On the sea also 

 they alight heavily, and sit deep in the 

 water, having the faculty, when apprehen- 

 sive of danger, of sinking still deeper, so 

 as to leave little exposed to view. They 

 swim with surprising speed, often immerse 

 their bill, and even the whole head, as they 

 proceed ; and dive with extreme agility, 

 with a sudden dart, and without opening 

 their wings until they are under the sur- 

 face, but then using them, as well as their | 



feet, to propel themselves. I have usually 

 found fragments of quartz and bits of stone 

 in their stomach ; but these may have been 

 swallowed by the fishes on which they had 

 fed ; for the membranous structure of the 

 stomach incapacitates it from pounding or 

 grinding the food. 



These birds seldom roost all the year 

 round, in the places where they nestle ; but 

 generally after the breeding season repose 

 at night on some rock at a convenient dis- 

 tance from their fishing stations, which, dur- 

 ing winter, are chiefly in estuaries, bays, and 

 creeks, although often also in the open sea. 

 In one of the islands in the Sound of Harris, 

 is a rock on which these birds rest at night, 

 especially in winter. A person well acquain- 

 ted with the place, as I have been informed, 

 has ascended the cliff in the dark, and mov- 

 ing cautiously, has secured a considerable 

 number of individuals before the rest became 

 alarmed, breaking by a sudden bend the 

 neck of each as he caught it. 



The natives of St. Kilda use the same 

 method in catching gannets. The cormo- 

 rants fly to and from these places in strings, 

 at no great height over the water ; with a 

 steady and moderately quick flight, strongly 

 contrasted with that of gulls and terns, which 

 are ever deviating on either side, and resem- 

 bling that of the gannets, which, however, 

 have a lighter flight, and sail at frequent 

 intervals. Shy and suspicious, they seldom, 

 even in the most unfrequented places, allow 

 a near approach ; and when fishing in a creek, 

 or place overlooked by high banks, are par- 

 ticularly vigilant. If they see a person at 

 some distance, they sink their body deeper 

 in the water ; and should one come nearer, 

 they keep it entirely submersed, the head 

 and part of the neck only being visible. As 

 they dive with extreme rapidity, it is very 

 difficult to shoot them while they are fishing. 

 They are not much in request, however, 

 among sportsmen and poachers ; for, although 

 in some remote parts their flesh is esteemed 

 tolerable eating, it is a dark red color, dis- 

 agreeable to the eye not less than to the 

 palate; but its being strong flavored or 

 fishy renders it not inapt for soup, in the 

 state of which the juices of the cormorant 

 are not unpleasant. The young are some- 

 what better, but the eggs are never eaten. 



In spring, when the nuptial dress is ad- 

 vanced, they pair; and soon after betake 

 themselves to their breeding-places — usually 

 shelves of exposed rock, at a considerable 

 height, and easily discovered by the quan- 

 tity of white dung spread around. The 

 nest is very large, and rudely formed, being 

 composed of sticks and sea-weeds, neaped 

 up sometimes to the height of a foot, or 

 more, with a shallow cavity at the top. 

 The eggs, generally three, sometimes four, 



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