A bird of this species, which I shot near its breeding place, and which,
on being examined, proved to be a female, had the feathers of the tail
covered with delicate slender sea-weeds of a bright green colour, such as
I have often observed on marine turtles, and which appeared to have actually
grown there.
The slender feathers on the sides of the head fall off by the time incubation
has commenced, and do not appear during winter, as is alleged
by authors when speaking of the crests or appendages of Cormorants, nor
do they last more than a few weeks, as is also the case in the Egrets and
Herons.
PHALACROCORAX FLORIDANUS.
Plate CCLII. Adult Male in spring.
Bill about the length of the head, rather slender, somewhat compressed,
straight, with the tip curved. Upper mandible with the dorsal line slightly
concave, until near the tip, when it is decurved, the ridge convex, and
separated from the sides by a narrow groove, the sides erect, convex, the
edges sharp and straight as far as the unguis, which is strong, convex above,
incurved, acute. No external nostrils when full-grown. Lower mandible
with the angle long and very narrow towards the end, filled by an extensible
membrane, which extends a short way down the throat, its dorsal
line a little convex, the sides erect and convex, the edges sharp and inflected,
the tip compressed and obliquely truncate.
Head rather small, oblong, narrowed before. Neck long and slender.
Body rather full, depressed. Feet short, stout, placed far behind; tibia
feathered in its whole length ; tarsus very short, strong, much compressed,
covered all round with scales, of which the anterior and lateral are large
and subhexagonal, the posterior very small and roundish. Toes all placed
in the same plane, and connected by reticulated webs, covered above with
very numerous oblique scutella; first toe smallest, fourth longest. Claws
rather small, strong, compressed, acute, rounded above, arched, that of
the third toe pectinated on its inner edge.
Plumage of the head, neck, lower parts, and posterior portion of the
back glossy, blended, and silky, of the fore part of the back and wings
compact, the feathers with narrow loose glossy margins. From behind the
eye to the length of an inch and a half on each side, a line of extremely
slender loose elongated feathers. Space around the eye, and to a large
extent along the base of the bill, together with the small gular sac, bare.
Wings rather small; primaries very strong, curved, rather narrow, tapering
and obtuse, second longest, third almost equal, first longer than fourth;
secondaries decurved, broad, broadly rounded, the inner narrower. Tail
of moderate length, very narrow, much rounded, or cuneate, of twelve
narrow rounded feathers, having extremely strong shafts.
Upper mandible black, along the basal margins bright blue; lower
bright blue, curiously spotted with white. Iris light green, margins of eyelids
light blue, spotted with white. Bare space on the head and gular sac rich
orange. Feet and claws greyish-black. All the silky part of the plumage
is greenish-black, at a distance appearing black, but at hand in a strong
light green. The imbricated feathers of the back and wings greyishbrown,
tinged with purple, their fringe-like margins greenish-black. Primary
quills brownish-black, secondary like the other feathers of the wing.
Tail brownish-black. The shafts of all the feathers brownish-black.
Length to end of tail 29f inches, to end of wings 2 5 t o end of
claws 28^; extent of wings 46^; wing from flexure l l f ; tail 6; bill
along the back 25
, along the edge of lower mandible 3 / g ; tarsus 2 ;
T
? outer toe 3T
5g, its claw f$ Weight &j lb.
The Female is precisely similar to the male.
The young, after their first moult, have the bill dull yellow, the ridge
of the upper mandible dusky, the unguis or hook horn-colour; the naked
parts about the base of the bill rich yellow, the iris light green, the feet
as in the adult. The feathers of the head and neck are blended, but not
silky; the upper part of the head and the hind neck are brownish-black,
tinged with green, the throat greyish-white, the fore neck and anterior
part of the breast variegated with pale brownish-grey and black. The
rest of the plumage is as in the adult, but the imbricated feathers of the
upper parts are of a lighter colour, but not bronzed.
This species differs from the Double-crested Cormorant principally in
being smaller, and in having the elongated feathers behind the eye much
fewer. The two species will be more particularly compared when the
latter is described.