PHALACROCORAX PUNCTATUS.
Spotted Cormorant.
Pelecanuspunctatus, Sparm. Mus. Carls., vol. i. t. 10.— Lath. Ind. Om., vol. ii. p. 889. Gmel. Linn., vol. i.
p. 574.
navius, Gmel. Linn., vol. i. p. 575.
Crested Shag, Cook’s la s t Voy., vol. i. p. 151.
Spotted Shag, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. vi. p. 602, pi. civ.—Ih. Gen. H ist., vol. x. p. 427, pi. clxxxii.
Phalacrocorax punctatus, Gould, Birds of Australia, P a rt I., cancelled.
Pa-degga-degga, Aborigines o f New Zealand.
T h is beautiful species of Cormorant is a native o f New Zealand; but although numbers o f Europeans have
now for many years visited those islands, it is still so extremely rare that I have never been able to discover
more than two specimens among the various collections I have. had opportunities o f examining : of these,
one is in the British Museum, and the other forms a part o f the collection o f the United Service Museum,
to the Council of which Institution my best thanks are due, not only for the loan o f this interesting species,
hut also for the very handsome manner in which the treasures of their Museum have been rendered available
to me for scientific purposes. The latter specimen was presented to the United Service Museum by Capt.
G. R. Lambert, R.N., of H.M.S. Alligator, who procured it in New Zealand, where it is said to be abundant,
particularly in Queen Charlotte’s Sound.
It builds among rocks, and not unfrequently on trees when growing near the water.
Vertical and occipital crest, crown of the head, and throat sooty black ; back of the neck, lower part of
the hack, and rump glossy green; a white stripe commencing above the eye passes down each side of the
neck to the flanks; lower part o f the neck, chest, and abdomen beautiful leaden g rey; under tail-coverts
and tail black; mantle, scapularies, and wings brownish ash, all the feathers except the secondaries
and primaries having a small spot of black at their t ip ; from the throat, sides and hack of the neck, and
thighs, arise numerous plume-like white feathers of a soft loose texture; those on the sides and hack of the
neck are very numerous, but on the other parts they arc few and thinly scattered.
The figure is of the natural size.