1188 
PHALACROCORAX CARBO. 
of seeing tlie Cormorant using its wings in this manner, by which it kept ahead of the boat, which was going as 
fast as one man could row it. It sallies out early in the morning, and commences to fish at once; and in the 
summer may be seen digesting its food, resorting to favourite and safe perches on isolated rocks, as early 
as seven o clock. At this time, when gorged with fish to such an extent that locomotion is a somewhat 
arduous matter with it, it may he approached more nearly than at other times. It sits resting on its tail, 
which is always used for that purpose, with its head drawn in, and every now and then extends its neck 
suddenly, in order to force the fish further down its gullet. After having been at rest for some time, it 
stretches out its wings, and keeps them extended until they are dried. In the afternoon it commences to 
fish again, and before retiring for the night to its accustomed roosting-place makes a very heavy meal. One 
which I saw killed on the W elsh coast at sundown disgorged five rock-perch, two of them weighing half a 
pound, a fair-sized eel, and a young salmon. I have myself taken gurnet 8 inches long from their throats, 
and have known a Cormorant (which was shot in the act) at Craig y deru to pursue a salmon of about 3 lbs. 
in weight. Some idea of the enormous quantity of fish which must be consumed by a large colony of these birds 
may be arrived at by taking their number at 100 pairs, and assuming at the very lowest that each bird takes 
4 lbs. of fish in a day ; this will give, as the prey of 200 birds, 800 lbs. in a day, or more than 122 tons in the 
year. Were it not for the wonderful digestive powers of this Cormorant, it could not dispose of such quan- 
tities of food; but so rapid is the process of digestion, that fish when only just passed into the upper part 
of the proventriculus, or the portion of the stomach just beneath the “ crop/ 5 are found broken up into small 
pieces by the action of the gastric juice. 
Besides acting as a prop for the bird when sitting upright on a rock or ledge of a cliff, the rigid tail of 
the Cormorant serves the purpose of a powerful lever in the water, enabling the bird to ascend or descend in 
deep water by a stroke upward or downward, as required. The Cormorant perches with its bill pointed 
upwards, and when watching the approach of its enemy, man, twists its neck from side to side, looking over 
its back in an awkward manner ; on flying off from such a situation it proceeds easily, taking quick strong 
flaps ; and soon the momentum of its heavy body carries it forward with great speed ; its neck is carried 
stretched out as a rule, particularly when flying along the water or before alighting on a rock, but not un- 
frequently, when descending from an altitude to a fishing-ground, it draws back its head, like a Heron. From 
the water it rises with difficulty, flapping along for some distance before it can mount into the air. Normally 
it is quite a silent bird, but in the breeding-season has a variety of notes, which I will presently notice. 
Cormorants roost always in the same place, and may be shot by watching beneath the cliffs to which they fly 
at sundown, coming in from all directions, and keeping usually at a considerable height. The immature birds 
are to be found at these localities while the adults are away at their breeding-colonies. In former days these 
birds used to be kept in England for fishing-purposes ; and an instance of a royal Cormorant-fancier is to be 
had in Charles I., who, Sir Thomas Browne tells us, was supplied from the tree breeding-place at B,eedham, 
in A oi folk. In China they are still used by the inhabitants for fishing; a ring is placed round the neck to 
prevent the fish being swallowed; but when a sufficient quantity have been caught, the ring is removed and 
the bird allowed to fish for itself. Pere David, who refers to these birds being so tamed in China, says that 
the Chinese breed them in captivity, hatching the eggs under hens. In countries where the Cormorant is not 
molested it becomes very tamo. Prjevalsky speaks of it as such in Mongolia. In most regions, however, it 
is a very shy bird, as it is so much persecuted on account of its poaching tendencies ; indeed it is one of the 
few birds not included in England under that most praiseworthy enactment, the “Sea-fowl Preservation Act.” 
In order to enable it to seize large fish the Cormorant is possessed of great strength of bill, and inflicts a serious 
injury if, when wounded, it contrives to seize the hand with its sharp mandibles ; its assault is aggravated by 
its always shaking whatever it has hold of, just like a terrier shakes a rat. In this way I have known it pierce 
a man s hand to the bone. It is worthy of remark that in the autumn it is often infested with ticks, which 
fasten on its head and neck. 
I conclude this notice of the habits of the Cormorant with an extract from Dr. Saxby’s excellent account, 
in the ‘ Birds of Shetland/ of the behaviour of a tame example, and which I take from Mr. Dresser’s work. 
After speaking of the extreme docility and remarkable amount of intelligence displayed by his pet, he proceeds 
to speak of his voracity, remarking that when “Ducks were fed he would rush boldly in among them and 
appropriate any thing in the shape of fish or flesh that happened to suit his fancy; but he never would eat 
