Colonel Montagu on a Cormorant, which, though not of the present species, was nearly allied; and with these notes we close our volume on Birds. A specimen of the Great Cormorant (P. carbo, LINN.) kept by him was extremely docile, of a grateful disposition, and by no means of a savage or vindictive spirit. He received it by coach after it had been twenty-four hours on the road; yet though it must have been very hungry, it rejected every sort of food he could offer to it, even raw flesh; but as he could not procure fish at the time, he was compelled to cram it with raw flesh, which it swallowed with evident reluctance, though it did not attempt to strike him with its formidable beak. When removed to the aquatic menagerie, it became restless and agitated at the sight of the water, and when set at liberty plunged and dived without intermission for a considerable time, without capturing or even discovering, a single fish ; when, apparently convinced that there were none to be found, it made no farther attempt for three days. Colonel Montagu afterwards noticed the dexterity with which it seized its prey. If a fish was thrown into the water at a distance, it would dive immediately, pursuing its course under the surface, in a direct line towards the spot, never failing to take the fish, and that frequently before it reached the bottom. The quantity it would devour was astonishing; three or four pounds twice a-day were swallowed, the digestion being excessively rapid. It lived in perfect harmony with the wild Swan, wild Goose, Ducks of various species, and other birds, but to a Gull with a piece of fish it would instantly give chase; in this it seemed |