BLACK-AND-WHITE CORMORANT 139 
of the bill. A most prominent mark is a bright 
orange patch in front of the eye and extending to 
the base of the bill. In all, therefore, it is a handsome 
species, but my especial reason for giving rather full 
details of its appearance is that it has at times been 
confused with the White-breasted Cormorant, a 
bird which I do not think occurs here, but may, per- 
haps, do so, its most striking point of difference 
being that it has a purple eye-patch where this bird's 
is yellow. 
In general appearance the Large Black-and-white 
Cormorant is like the smaller but similarly coloured 
species, which I shall mention next ; but if you can 
get a look at the two birds side-on when they are 
flying, you will see that the neck of the larger bird 
appears almost all white ; in the smaller one the 
black stripe is broader, and comes down farther on 
to the sides of the neck. 
Fishermen tell me that some twenty years ago there 
was, on Mud Island off Queenscliff, in mangrove 
trees on the east side of it, a great rookery of Black and 
Black-and-white Cormorants' nests. I am inclined to 
think that this was one of the species, and perhaps the 
Large Black the other, but it is, of course, impossible 
now to determine the matter, and I merely place the 
fact on record. 
