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CHAPTER XX. 
CORMORANTS, &C. ; — THE GREAT AND GREEN CORMORANTS 
THE GANNET. 
I ITITH these birds we get into another family, the Pele- 
YV canince, which has but three British representatives, 
not one of which is a true Pelican. Speaking of the cha- 
racteristics of the birds included in this family, Macgillivray 
says :— 
The habits of these birds are very different ; for while the Cor- 
morants pursue their prey much in the same manner as the 
Mergansers and Loons, and the Arehingers are still more strictly 
Urinatorial, the Pelicans combine the characters of the Urinatorial 
(diving), and Mersatorial (plunging) birds. The Gannets fly about 
in quest of food, plunging upon it from on high ; the Frigate Bird 
ranges over the seas, with scarcely rivalled speed of wing ; and the 
Tropic-birds resemble Terns in their mode of flight. They all feed 
on fish, however, and all are very voracious. They nestle on rocks, 
bushes, or trees ; form a clumsy, ill-constructed nest ; lay a small 
number of bluish white eggs, crusted over with an irregular layer of 
calcerous granules. The young, at first almost naked, and generally 
black, continue in the nest until able to fly. Only two genera have 
representatives in Britain. 
The Great Cormorant {Phalacrocorax carho)j some- 
times called the White-headed, White-spot, or Crested 
Cormorant, the Great Scart, or Scarve, Coal Goose, 
Brougie. 
The Green Cormorant (P. gramlus)^ known also as 
the Black, or Crested Cormorant, the Green Scout, the 
Shag, Scart, Scarv, or Scarbh. 
The Cormorants (genus Phalacvocorax) are birds of 
