Another bird to be seen along all parts of our coast, summer and winter
alike, is the Cormorant, usually with a small party of his friends. They
fly swiftly, one behind the other, and a long line of them reminds one
of the pictures of "sea-serpents," especially as they fly quite near the
surface of the sea, each one with its long neck outstretched. The Gull
flies beautifully, as if he knew his power, and loved to show how he can
skim and dive through the air. The Cormorant is not a flier, but a
swimmer and diver; he cannot "show off" in the air, and only uses his
narrow wings to take him, as quickly as may be, from one fishing-place
to another.

Most of the Cormorant's time is spent in fishing, for he lives entirely
on fish, and catches immense numbers of them. He spends many hours, too,
in drying his wings. I once saw a number of these birds with their wings
"hung out to dry." Each one was perched on a stump of wood, across the
muddy mouth of a river, and each sooty-looking bird had his wings wide
open in the sun. This habit seems to show that the Cormorant uses his
wings, as well as his feet, in his frequent journeys under water.

The powerful webbed feet of the Cormorant, set far back on the body, the
darting head, long neck, and long curved beak, tell you plainly how he
earns his meals. He is a clever fish-hunter, and the fishermen, knowing
the appetite of this keen rival of theirs, detest him and destroy him.
In some countries there is a price on his head--that is, so much money
is given for every Cormorant killed.

Sometimes the Cormorant swims slowly along with his head under water, on
the watch for small fish. Seeing one below him, he dives like a flash,
and can remain under water for some time; he wastes very little time,
however, in swallowing his victim head first.