80 



COMMON CORMORANT. 



which they by the way, as they are falling in the air, 

 will catch most dexterously in their mouths." 



Notwithstanding the stupidity of these birds, they 

 speedily become remarkably tame. Montagu relates 

 the following anecdotes of the identical bird which 

 is now in the British Museum, and which he pro- 

 cured alive, and kept for some years. " As soon as 

 he received it and it was liberated, it followed the 

 servant who released it, and was offered every sort of 

 food at hand, all of which was equally refused ; not 

 even raw flesh was acceptable, and no fish could be 

 procured to satisfy its hunger ; in consequence we (he) 

 crammed it with flesh, which was taken very reluc- 

 tantly; but even with this rough handling, its for- 

 midable beak was not made use of offensively. After 

 feeding it was placed on a stool in an adjoining room, 

 where it sat perfectly contented, and adjusted its dis- 

 concerted plumage. Observing it so perfectly recon- 

 ciled to its new abode, and having retired to the 

 library, leaving both doors open, with the intention 

 of returning, we were astonished, in a few minutes, 

 to see the stranger walk boldly into the room, while 

 in conversation with a friend, and coming towards 

 us with the greatest confidence and familiarity, joined 

 us at the fire-side, where it resumed the task of ad- 

 justing its feathers. From hence we removed it to 

 an aquatic menagerie, to which it was carried without 

 the least offensive resistance ; but the sight of water 

 made it restless, and when liberated, it instantly 

 plunged in and dived incessantly for a considerable 

 time, in hopes of prey; and after searching every 



