. The birds of Washington; a complete, scientific and popular account of the 372 species of birds found in the state . illar, looking collectively like black l)ottleson a druggists shelves, or. more elegantly,and at closer (piarlers. like ebony statuetteson mariile pedestals. Cormorants plunge into the wildestwaters as fearlessly as sea-lions, and theycarry on their fisiiiiig operations about tiieshoulders of booming reefs, wiiicii inimansflare not approach. After luncheons, wiiiciioccur qnite frequently in theCormorant day. the birds lo\cto gather on some low-lyiireef, just above the reach ■
. The birds of Washington; a complete, scientific and popular account of the 372 species of birds found in the state . illar, looking collectively like black l)ottleson a druggists shelves, or. more elegantly,and at closer (piarlers. like ebony statuetteson mariile pedestals. Cormorants plunge into the wildestwaters as fearlessly as sea-lions, and theycarry on their fisiiiiig operations about tiieshoulders of booming reefs, wiiicii inimansflare not approach. After luncheons, wiiiciioccur qnite frequently in theCormorant day. the birds lo\cto gather on some low-lyiireef, just above the reach ■ ■the waves, and devote the intcrvening hours to tliat function of life. dig<tion, Tiiere is no evidence birds discuss oceanic jiolitics on these occasions; ll ■benevolent assimilation of .(twelve-inch Cultus Cod is pre-sumed to be ample occupati ifor union hours. As might be inferre.\.\ H riI.!..\K their choice of nesting sites, * kutikc tiTt or mt ixitn cMuoikxr*. k>hi or wmcii ami Cormorants are more it« ».ttl« no«».. THE BAIRD CORMORANT. 855 sprightly than tlie larger species, and also exceedingl_\- shy. An interview at closequarters is impossible, and we must employ stealth to get close enough to oneto note the lustrous black plumage with the flashing iridescence of violet andgreen and purple, the curious feather-tufts like budding horns, and the blood-red eyes, which impart to their owners a fierce, not to say wicked, apprehension of danger, the bird will crane its neck at every conceiva-ble angle, punctuating its moments of anxiety with a flirt of its mobile tail— that is, if that useful membercan be spared from its fre-quent duty of assisting thebird to maintain a jirecariousfoothold on some slight pro-jection of the cliff-side. Nowaitd then also the l)ird voidsvigorously, distributing animpartial whitewash over allsurrounding objects. When the birds of a colonyquit their nests, they launchout swiftly, wag
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Keywords: ., bookauthordaws, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds
