402 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



usually vent brownish -white (amount of white varying individually), 

 rest of under -parts brown, darker on flanks ; axillaries and under 

 wing-coverts dark brown slightly glossed greenish ; tail-feathers 

 brown-black narrowly edged whitish-brown ; wing-feathers black- 

 brown, extreme tips paler, secondaries with slight green gloss on 

 outer webs ; wing-coverts dark brown glossed green with pale 

 brown tips becoming whitish when worn. 



First winter and summer. — Like juvenile, but new feathers 

 of upper -parts more glossed and those of mantle with black 

 velvety margins ; chin white ; sides of neck and whole throat 

 blackish-brown, feathers with pale brown tips giving a slightly 

 speckled appearance ; rest of under -parts rather darker brown, 

 especially on flanks, than in juvenile. The juvenile body-plumage 

 is partially moulted Aug.-Dec. ; some examples moult very little 

 but even those acquiring more new feathers retain many juvenile 

 body -feathers, especially scapulars and on breast ; tail and wing- 

 feathers and wing-coverts are not moulted. 



Second winter and summer. — A moult involving entire plumage 

 commences in some birds May (when bird is a year old) and is not 

 complete in some until following Feb. or March during which period 

 there seems only one gradual moult and not two as in adult. When 

 moult is complete upper-parts and wing-coverts much as adult 

 winter ; chin brownish-white ; throat dark brown speckled dark 

 glossy-green ; centre of breast and belly pale brown, rest of under - 

 parts dark brown with a number of dark glossy-green feathers 

 intermixed. 



Third winter. — After moult commencing May bird appears to 

 become like adult, i.e. when it is about 2J years old. 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 260-280 mm., tail 118- 

 140, tarsus 60-70, bill from feathers 55-63 (12 measured). $ wing 

 250-263, bill 57-66. Primaries : 2nd and 3rd about equal and 

 longest, 4th as long or 5 mm. shorter, 1st 5-10 shorter, 5th 15-22 

 shorter, 6th 35-45 shorter ; 2nd to 4th emarginated outer, and 1st 

 to 3rd inner webs. Tail with only 12 feathers otherwise rest of 

 structure as in Cormorant. 



Soft parts. — Bill, upper mandible and tip of lower blackish- 

 horn, cutting edge of upper and rest of lower yellowish (juvenile 

 pale pink-brown) ; inside mouth, gape, and round eyes pale orange- 

 yellow (juvenile pale flesh tinged yellow) ; bare skin on chin and 

 angle of lower mandibles black thickly spotted yellow (juvenile 

 pale flesh tinged yellow : 2nd summer brighter yellow) ; legs and 

 feet blackish, webs paler (juvenile same with inner sides of tarsus 

 and webs mostly brownish -white) ; iris sea-green (juvenile yellowish- 

 white, 2nd summer yellowish -green). 



Characters and allied forms. — Ph. g. desmarestii (Mediterranean) 

 adult has slightly larger and rather finer bill, shorter crest and 

 paler webs, juvenile whole of under-parts brownish -white. Distin- 

 guished from Cormorant by smaller size and 12 not 14 tail-feathers^ 



