LITTLE CORMORANT. 
Although this bird is very common throughout Australia, I have no notes 
as to its life-history. Such lack of interest in such a peculiar phase of 
Cormorant life does not speak highly for the observations of the famed 
Australian ornithologists who, to quote official utterance, are “ conversant 
with the life-histories and habitats of Australian forms.” It is pitiable that 
the ‘‘ cabinet ornithologist, unacquainted with Australian field ornithology,” 
should be denied the pleasure of consulting records made by the “ working 
field ornithologists.” Again it is written that “ so far Australian ornithologists 
have been too much concerned purely in the study of ornithology (which is 
a living, virile one in Australian regions).” “Wake up, Australia!” should 
be the motto of all native ornithologists, as it is about time that you realise 
that “virile ornithology” is the collation and study of bird-life, whether the 
bird be a “ despised ” Cormorant or a delightful Superb Warbler. Examples 
of real study are now continually appearing in the pages of the Emu, and I 
want to impress upon the field-worker that it is only when the despised 
“ cabinet ornithologist” comes to collate the records that the blanks stand out 
so plainly. From the systematic point of view this bnd is worthy of much 
study, yet apparently from the field point of view it is negligible. The reverse 
might have been easily written, but no bird, as regards its life-history, 
is negligible, as each bird is “ virile ” and individually demands prolonged 
study. 
Mr. Tom Carter’s remarks read : “ This species is common in the South- 
west of Australia and may commonly be seen catching the cray-fish that 
occur in the inland swamps and watercourses.” 
Mr. J. W. Mellor’s only comments are : “ The little white-breasted 
cormorant is generally distributed about the inland waters as well as the 
sea-coast and islands of South Australia and the other states : they go in 
flocks and breed in rookeries like the other members of the family, the clutch 
being four. I have seen them plentiful in St. Vincent’s Gulf, Spencer’s felulf. 
Kangaroo Island, also on Lakes Alexandrina and Albert and the Coorong, 
all in South Australia. I also noted them on the Gippsland Lakes, Victoria, 
and Tuggerah Lakes, New South Wales, and many other similar localities.” 
In the Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum, Vol. XXVI., Ogilvie- 
Grant recognised Phalacrocorax melanoleucus and P. brevirostris as two 
distinct species and therefore admitted the former as a visitor or rare New 
Zealand bird. Iredale and I {Ibis 1913, p. 415) rejected this determination, 
study of the specimens having convinced us that the two forms were only 
subspecifically distinct and that the few cases of the occurrence of supposed 
P. melanoleucus in New Zealand were cases of reversion. The recognition 
of the P. finschii Sharpe seemed to confirm this. 
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