The Cormorants. 
1 29 
THE SHAG. 
(Phalcarocorax 
graculus.) 
or three in number, of a chalky white, underneath which the real colour of the egg 
is green. They measure about two-and-a-half inches in length. The nestlings are 
at first naked and of a purplish black colour, but after a few days they become 
thickly covered with black down. 
The Shag is a smaller bird than the Cormorant, and is always 
to be told in the young brown plumage by its having only 
twelve tail-feathers. The general colour is of a bottle-green tint, 
and instead of the ornamental white plumes which appear in the 
Cormorant, the Shag only dons a crest for the breeding season, but this is soon shed, 
like the white filaments in the Cor- 
morant. It breeds on most of the 
rocky coasts of England, Scotland 
and Ireland, and is, in many places, 
more common than its larger ally. 
It is only found in Western Europe, 
but extends into the Mediterranean 
Sea. 
Like the Cormorant, the Shag is 
a very powerful swimmer and diver, 
and is capable of descending to 
great depths. It breeds on ledges of 
cliffs or in caves, and makes a nest 
of dead sticks and sea-weed. The 
The Gannet. 
The Cormorant. 
The Shag. 
