COR 
COR 
that Milton fhould make Satan perfonate this bird, 
when he fends him on the moft infernal of all pur- 
pofes, namely, to furvey -with pain the beauties of 
Paradife, and to fit devifing death on the tree of 
life. It has been obferved by fome critics of this 
fublime poet, that perching a water-fowl on a tree 
implied no great acquaintance with the hiftory of 
nature ; however, it muft be remarkec^, in vindica- 
tion of Milton, that Ariftotle exprefsly afferts of 
the Cormorant, that it is the only aquatic fowl 
which at any time either fits or roofts on trees. 
This bird feems to be of a multiform nature; 
and, wherever filh are to be found, it watches their 
migrations. It is feen as well on land as at fea; 
it feeds on frefh-water as well as fea-fifh ; it gene- 
rally builds it's nefl: in the cliffs of rocks; and preys 
not only by day, but alio during the night. 
The indefatigable induftry and great dexterity 
of the Cormorant in catching fifli, was probably 
the only motive which induced fome nations to 
keep this bird in a tame ftate ; and Willughby af- 
fures us, that it was once bred by the Englifh for 
that very purpofe. The defcription of their m.anner 
of filhing is thus delivered by Faber. ' When they 
carry them out of the rooms where they are kept, 
to the fifh-pools, they hoodwink them, that they 
may not be frightened by the way. When they 
are come to the rivers, they take off their hoods; 
and having tied leather thongs round the lower 
part of their necks, that they may not Iwallow the 
fifh they catch, they throw them into the river. 
They prefently dive under water, and there for a 
long time purfue the filh with wonderful fwiftnefs ; 
and when they have caught them, rife to the fur- 
face of the water, and preffing the filhes lightly 
with their bills, fwallow them, till each bird hath 
devoured five or fix fifhes after this manner. Then 
tlieir keepers call them to the fift, to which they 
readily fly; and, one after another, vomit up all 
tlieir fifli, only a little bruiied widi the firft nip 
given in catching them. When they have done 
filliing, fetting the birds on fome high place, they 
loofe the firings from their hecks, leaving the paf- 
fage to the flomach free and open ; and for their 
reward they throw them a part of the prey, to 
each one or two fifhes, which they will catch moft 
dextroufly as they are falling in the air.' 
At prefent, the Cormorant is trained up in every 
part of China, for the purpofes of pifcation, wliere 
lakes and canals are very numerous. * To this 
end,' fays La Compte, ' they are educated as men 
rear up fpaniels or hawks ; and one man can eafily 
manage a hundred. The fifher carries them out 
into the lake, perched on the gunnel of his boat, 
where they continue tranquil, expei5ling his orders 
with patient attention. When arrived at the pro- 
per place, at the firft fignal given, each flies a dif- 
ferent way to fulfil the tafk affigned it. It is very 
pleafant, on this occafion, to behold with what fa- 
gacity they portion out the lake or the canal where 
they are ftationed on duty. They hunt about, they 
plunge, they rife a hundred nmes to die iiirface, 
till they have at laft found their prey; they then 
feize it in the middle with their beaks, and carry it 
regularly to their mafter. When the fifli is too 
large, they then give each other mutual afTiftance ; 
one feizes it by the head, the other by the tail, and 
in this manner they carry it conjointly to the boat. 
There the boat-man ftretches out one of his long 
oars, on which they perch ; and, being freed fiom 
their burden, they again fly off to purfue their fport. 
When they are wearied, the proprietor fuffers them 
to enjoy a ftiort interval of reft ; but they are never 
fed till their taflc is accompliihed. In this man- 
ner they fupply a very plentiful table; but ftill 
their natural gluttony cannot be reclaimed by edu- 
cation. They have alvv^ays, while they fifli, a firing 
faftened round their throats, to prevent them from 
devouring their prey; as otherwife they would at 
once fatiate themfelves, and difcontinue their pur- 
fuit.' 
The Cormorant is the moft expert fiflier of all 
birds, and is generally on the wing; and the afto- 
nifhing celerity with which it defcends from im- 
menfe heights in the air in order to dive for it's 
prey, affords matter of agreeable amufemicnt to a 
perfon ftationed on an adjacent cliff. 
This large bird is feldom feen in the air, except 
at thofe times when it perceives fifli almoft im- 
mediately under it ; and even then they muft be 
pretty near the furface of the water before it v/ill 
venture to dart on them : if the fifh are at a depth 
beyond what the impetus of the Cormorant's flight 
renders it capable of diving to, they certainly 
efcape; for this animal is by no means capable of 
moving fo faft under water as a fifh can fwim. It 
feldom, however, makes an unfuccefsful attack; 
and it is often feen rifing heavily with a fifli larger 
than it can conveniently devour. 
The Kamtfchadales adopt a fingular method of 
catching Cormorants. They faften a thick iron 
or wooden hook to a long rope or ftrap; bait the 
hook with a whole fifh, the point of the hool c com- 
ing out near the back fin ; and then throw it into 
the fea. This lure the Cormorants obferving, ga- 
ther about it in flocks, quarrel for it, and the 
ftrongeft fwallows it : the bird, thus entangled, is 
drawn on fhore by the natives ; who conftrudl nee- 
dle-cafes and combs of the bones of it's wings. 
CORNET. A name given by fome French 
writers to a genus of fhells, called by others cu- 
culli, and by the generality of naturalifts volutse. 
CORNUTA. An appellation given by Gef- 
ner, and fome others, to the fifli called alfo lyra, 
and lyra altera. It is of the trigia kind, and is 
diftinguiflied by Artedi under the name of the tri- 
gia with many cirri and an oflagonal bodv. 
CORNUTUS PISCIS. A name given by 
Ray to an Eaft Indian fifli, called hoorn vifch by 
the Dutch. It has a horn of a very fingular con- 
ftruftion on the back part of it's head, or the be- 
ginning of it's back ; and two others on it's belly, 
which are very crooked and brittle, and feem to 
partake of the nature of fpines, which in fome fifh 
are placed before their neck and belly-fins. A 
v/ound inflifted by one of thefe fifli is reckoned 
dangerous; and is generally cured with much dif- 
ficulty, efpecially if any part of the horn is broke 
off, which, from it's natural brittlenefs, is ufualiy 
the cafe. 
COROCORO. A Brazilian fifli fomewhat re- 
fembling the coracinus of the Mediterranean. It 
has a fipus in the back, in which it can bury it's 
fins at pleafure. 
CORONA ^ETHIOPICA. The name of a 
fea-fliell of the dolium or concha globofa kind. 
CORONA IMPERIALIS. A kind of vo- 
luta, which differs from other fhells of that family 
in having it's head adorned with a number of points, 
which form a fort of crown. 
There are four fpecies of this fhell in the cabi- 
nets of conchologifls. 
CORVO. An appellation fometimes given to 
the umbra or chromis of authors ; a large fifh com- 
monly caught in the Mediterranean feas, and which, 
while young, is brought to the markets of Italy. 
CORVUS. 
