144 
THE FLORIDA CORMORANT. 
up and swam joyously around each other, croaking all the while. Twenty 
or more pairs at a time were thus engaged. Indeed, the water was covered 
with Cormorants, and, had I chosen, I might have shot several of them. I 
now advanced slowly towards them, when they stared at me as you might 
stare at a goblin, and began to splash the water with their wings, many 
diving. On my proceeding they all dispersed, either plunging beneath or 
flying off, and making rapidly towards the mouth of the inlet. Only a few 
nests were on the mangroves, and I looked upon the spot as analogous to 
the tournament grounds of the Pinnated Grouse, although no battles took 
place in my presence. A few beautiful Herons were sitting peaceably on 
their nests, the mosquitoes were very abundant, large ugly blue land-crabs 
crawled among the mangroves, hurrying towards their retreats, and I 
retired, as I had arrived, in perfect silence. While proceeding I could 
not help remarking the instinctive knowledge of the fishes, and thought 
how curious it was that, as soon as they had observed the Cormorants’ 
hole, none had gone farther, as if they were well aware of the danger, but 
preferred meeting me as I advanced towards the birds. 
The nest of the Florida Cormorant is of rather a small size, being only 
eight or nine inches in diameter. It is formed of sticks crossing each other, 
and is flat, without any appearance of finishing. All the nests are placed on 
a western exposure, and are usually completely covered with excrement, as 
are also frequently the eggs, which are three or four, and differ in size, their 
average length, however, being two inches and a quarter, their greatest 
breadth one inch and three and a half eighths. They are rendered rather 
rough by the coating of calcareous matter which surrounds them ; but when 
this is removed, the real shell is found to be of a uniform fine light bluish- 
green tint. I was unable to ascertain the period of incubation. The young 
are at first blind, naked, black, and extremely uncouth. On placing some 
which were quite small on the water, they instantly dived, rose again, and 
swam about at random, diving on the least noise. If you approach them 
when about a month old, they throw themselves from the nest and plunge 
into the water. When undisturbed, they remain in the nest until they are 
fully fledged and able to fly, after' which they undergo various changes, and 
are not perfect until nearly two years old. 
Soon after they are left to shift for themselves, great numbers go to search 
for food in the quiet waters of inland streams. Thousands may now be seen 
on the lakes of the interior of the Floridas, and on the large rivers there. 
At this season many proceed as far as the Capes of North Carolina, the 
Mississippi, the Arkansas, tl\e Yazoo, and other streams, including the fair 
Ohio, on which they are at times seen early in October, when they begin to 
return to the places of their nativity. During severaj weeks which I spent 
