Part 31

The female is rather larger and more spotted on the breast. The young have buff margins to the feathers of the back. Length 22 in.; wing 19 in.

THE CORMORANT Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnæus)

With the Cormorant we come to quite another order of birds in which the feet, including the hind toe, are completely webbed. Their food consists entirely of fish, which they obtain by diving and of which they consume an immense quantity.

The Cormorant is abundant round all our shores and nests in colonies on rocky cliffs.

Its breeding places are very numerous and may be said to occur pretty generally wherever suitable localities are to be found. The nest is an untidy accumulation of seaweed, and the eggs, usually five in number, are pale blue in colour, but are thickly covered with a white chalky encrustation.

The young are blind at first and covered with blackish down. They feed on half-digested food, which they procure by inserting their head and neck into the parents' crop. It is rather a sedentary bird, spending much of its time on rocks just above high-water mark; in diving it moves almost entirely by means of its feet, the wings being kept closely folded to its side. When searching for food it places its head under water, and on sighting a fish dives under with scarcely a ripple; on being captured the victim is brought to the surface and swallowed head first, and the search for another is recommenced. Having satisfied his hunger he mounts a rock and stands there erect, drying himself in the wind with outstretched wings, for in spite of their diving habits the feathers of these birds have very little power of resisting water, and after a prolonged immersion become quite saturated. It flies well and strongly with the head and neck outstretched in front and looks not unlike a Duck. In some places it nests inland near large lakes, and in such localities the nest is placed on trees.

The adult is of a deep glossy greenish black, which becomes more bronze in tint on the mantle. Many of the feathers on the head and neck are white, and there is a white patch on the thighs which is assumed during the winter and lost in May. The young are brownish and lack the gloss of the old birds; the under parts are whitish. They become adult in about three years. Length 36 in.; wing 14 in.

THE SHAG Phalacrocorax graculus, Linnæus

The Shag is widely distributed round our coasts, especially those rocky portions abounding in caves, on the ledges of which it breeds. It is a smaller and more local species than the last, and is never found breeding inland and rarely in colonies. In all other ways it is a counterpart of its larger congener, with which it is often confounded by local fishermen.

During the breeding season it is rather noisy, the note being a harsh "kraik, kraik."

The adult is of a uniform glossy bronze green and wears for a short time in spring an upright and forwardly-directed crest. The young resemble those of the Cormorant except in size, but the tail has only twelve, instead of fourteen tail feathers, and this forms an unmistakable character at all ages. The absence of the pale gular pouch will also enable this species to be recognised when on the wing. Length 27 in.; wing 10·75 in.

THE GANNET Sula bassana (Linnæus)

The Gannet is a local species, nesting in enormous numbers on certain rocks which have formed their home for centuries. These colonies are pretty well distributed round our coasts, especially in Scotland and Ireland, but in England, the Farn Islands on the east, and Grassholm in Wales, are their only strongholds, a former colony on Lundy Island being nearly, if not quite, exterminated. The Bass Rock, one of the largest and best known of these colonies, is, in summer, a sight never to be forgotten; the whole of the face of the cliff appearing entirely white, from the closely packed sitting birds, who at this season are very tame and allow themselves to be stroked while incubating.

The nest is a loose accumulation of seaweed and other materials picked up along the shore. A single egg only is laid, which, except in size, resembles that of the Cormorant. The young when first hatched are black and naked, but soon assume a thick covering of white down; they remain in the nest a long time, not leaving it until they are fully fledged.

A party of Gannets fishing is a beautiful sight; they are not divers like the Cormorant but feed on surface-swimming fish, and in winter often follow the shoals of herring and mackerel. Having marked his fish from high up in the air, the Gannet folds his wings and drops on it perpendicularly, striking the water with great force. When not at its breeding haunts it keeps more out at sea than its rock-loving congeners and is very seldom seen sitting on the shore.

The adult is pure creamy white, buff on the crown and nape, and with black primaries. In their first year the young are brown all over, each feather having a small triangular white spot at the tip. The adult plumage is not assumed until the fifth or sixth year, the plumage during youth being various intermediate stages. Length 34 in.; wing 19 in.

THE COMMON HERON Ardea cinerea, Linnæus

Owing to its shy, retiring, and wary habits, this bird is still fairly common with us. It spends the late summer and winter in marshes by the sides of sluggish rivers and ditches, patiently waiting for some unwary fish to come within striking distance of its formidable bill. Frogs, snakes, rats, and mice are also equally relished, and it is by no means dainty or particular as to its food.

In former days it was strictly protected and used as quarry for hawking, in which chase the Hawk would often receive serious wounds from the deadly dagger-shaped beak.

The Heron nests in colonies on high trees, the nest being built of sticks, lined with small twigs, moss, and wool. Five eggs of a uniform greenish blue form the clutch, and the young, which are extremely helpless when first hatched, are carefully fed by their parents on predigested food. The flight of this species appears slow and lumbering. The legs are carried stretched out behind and the head and neck closely folded in to the body. When disturbed or alarmed they utter a harsh "frank, frank." Although usually nesting inland, they may often be found by the sea-shore in autumn and winter, especially during hard weather when their inland haunts are frozen over.

The adult is bluish grey on the upper parts; the head and neck are white with the exception of the crest, which is bluish black, as well as a row of dark longitudinal markings on either side of the neck. Under parts greyish white. Shoulders bluish black. The young resemble their parents but are browner and lack the long filamentous plumes on the back and base of the neck. The adult plumage is assumed by degrees, not reaching its full beauty till in the fourth or fifth year. Length 34 in.; wing 19 in.

THE PURPLE HERON Ardea purpurea, Linnæus

The Purple Heron inhabits marshes in South and Central Europe, building a nest low down in the reeds, its nearest nesting place to us being in Holland. A good many examples, mostly immature, have occurred along our east coasts. On the back the adult is dark slate grey with rufous and buff dorsal plumes. Neck reddish, with dark elongated stripe down either side. Under parts rich maroon red. Immature birds are rusty red on the neck and upper parts, brownish on the under parts. Length 33 in.; wing 14·25 in.

THE GREAT WHITE HERON Ardea alba, Linnæus

Very few examples of this large species have occurred in Great Britain. It breeds on the Danube and thence eastwards in South Russia. The plumage is pure white, legs and feet black. This species has become much scarcer owing to persecution for its plumes, known as "ospreys." Length 33 in.; wing 17 in.

THE LITTLE EGRET Ardea garzetta, Linnæus

This species breeds in Europe in the countries bordering the Mediterranean. It has only occurred in these islands on two or three occasions. Plumage pure white. Length 21 in,; wing 11·25 in.

THE BUFF-BACKED HERON Ardea bubulcus, Audouin