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1006. :- G. sinensis, Shaw. :- Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 862 ; Butler, Guzerat, Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 331; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 442; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 33 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India, Ibis, 1885, p. 138.

The Lesser Cormorant.
 

Length, 24 to 27; expanse, 36 to 40 ; wing, 11; tail, 5.25 to 6 ; tarsus, 1.7 ; bill at front, 2.25.

Bill dusky brown, reddish beneath ; gular skin yellow ; irides bluish-green; nude orbits black ; feet black.

Adult, head and neck shining black; feathers of the back and wing-coverts bronze color as in the last; throat white; this color extending towards the eye, and passing into a pale brown on the cheeks ; lower plumage deep black.

In .breeding plumage this Cormorant assumes some white specks on the forehead and above the eyes, and a white tuft behind each ear; the chin, however, is then black.

The young birds are more or less brown above, and white beneath.

The Lesser Cormorant is more or less common throughout the district; it is a permanent resident and breeds in company during the rains.

The eggs are similar to those of the snake bird.

Gen. Zool. xiii. pt. i, p. 91 ; Legge, B. Ceylon, p. 1182; Hume and Dav., Str. F. vi. p. 496; Hume, Str. F. viii. p. 116; Oates, B. Br. Burm. ii. p. 233. Phalacrocorax sinensis, Steph., Gen, Zool, xiii. pt. i, p. 96. Graculus sinensis (Shaw), Jerd., B. Ind. iii. p. 862 ; Hume, Nests and Eggs, Ind. B. p. 660; Murray, Vert. Zool., Sind, p. 331. Graculus fuscicollis, Blyth, B. Burm. p. 164; Oates, Str. F. v. p. 170. -

The White-tufted Cormorant.
 

Breeding Plumage. - Whole plumage deep black; glossed with blue and green, the feathers of the back and wing coverts with black margins; a tuft of decomposed soft white feathers about an inch in length on either side of the head just behind the ear coverts ; the female has not the white tufts.

Non-breeding Plumage - Adult Male. - Entire head and neck glossy black ; back, scapulars, rump and upper tail coverts bronze, some of the feathers of the back and wing coverts margined with black; throat white; cheeks, pale brown ; entire lower surface black. No white thigh or cheek patch. Bill, gular skin and orbits as in the last; irides bluish green ; feet black.

Length. - 24 to 27 inches; wing 11 ; tail 6; bill at front 2.25. In the breeding plumage the forehead and sides of the head are speckled with white, there is a white tuft of feathers behind the ears, and the chin is white.

Hab. - Sind, Kutch, Guzerat, Rajputana, the Deccan, Burmah and Ceylon ; also in South Ceylon. Very abundant and resident everywhere it occurs in India. Breeds during November; in some parts as early as July and August.

The Indian Shag.

Phalacrocorax fuscicollis, Steph, in Shaw's Gen. Zool. xiii, pt. 1. p. 91 (18251; Hume & Dav. S. F. vi, p. 496; Dav. & Wend. S. F. vii, p. 93; Butler, ibid. pp. 178,189, 467 ; Ball, ibid. p. 234 ; Hume, Cat. no. 1006; Doig, S. F. viii, p. 372; Legge, Birds Ceyl.-p. 1182; Butler, S. F. ix, p. 442 ; Davidson, S. F. x, p. 327; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 233 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 439; id. Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. vi, p. 305; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 352 ; Oates in Hume's N. & E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 272. Graculus sinensis, apud Blyth, Cat. p. 298; Jerdon, B. I. iii, p. 862; King, J. A. S. B. xxxvii, pt. 2, p. 218 ; Oates, S. F. iii, p 350; Butler, S. F. iv, p, 33. Graculus fuscicollis, Blyth, Ibis, 1867, p. 181; Bulger, Ibis, 1869, p. 170; Blyth & Wald. Birds Burm. p. 164 ; Oates, S. F. v, p. 170.

The Lesser Cormorant, Jerdon.

Coloration. Black, glossed with purplish or greenish ; feathers of upper back, scapulars, and wing-coverts dull brownish bronze, with broad black margins. There are a few white specks on the sides of the head, and, in breeding-plumage only, a pure white tuft on each side of the neck behind the ear-coverts.

In non-breeding plumage, the throat is more or less speckled with white.

Young birds are brown above, with black margins to the feathers of the upper back, to the scapulars, and wing-coverts ; throat white; breast and abdomen partly or wholly white.

Bill dusky brown, reddish beneath ; irides verdigris-blue; nude orbits black; gular skin yellow; feet black (Jerdon). Irides green ; naked skin of head yellow (Oates).

Length 25; tail (of 12 feathers) 6.5; wing 10.5; tarsus 1.8; bill from gape 3.25.

Distribution. This species is rare or wanting in Northern India, except in Sind, where it is a permanent resident, and about Delhi. It has been found sparingly in Central India, the Deccan, the Carnatic, and Orissa, and has been seen occasionally in Ceylon, but appears not to have been observed on the Malabar coast. It is more common to the eastward in Burma, and was found by Hume in Manipur. It is probable that in some cases small females of P. carbo have been mistaken for P. fuscicollis.

Habits, &c. The Indian Shag is a bird of rivers, lakes, and estuaries, rather than of the sea-coasts. It is resident in India, and has been found breeding by Oates in July amongst reeds in the Myitkyo Swamp, Pegu, and by Doig and Butler on tamarisk trees in the Eastern Nara, Sind, from July to December. The eggs are like those of P. carbo, and measure about 2.1 by 1.4.

The Indian Shag.

Pan-kowa, India; Niru-kahi, (Telugu); Nir-kakam, Ceylon.

Male 24" to 27". Legs black. Bill brown, red below. Cheeks pale brown. Scapulars and wing-coverts grey, bordered black. Bronze feathers as in P. carbo.— In summer: White ear-tufts. Chin black. India, Ceylon, and Indo-Burmese countries as far south as Tenasserim. Resident in India. Three to five eggs (2.1 x 1.4), white (emerald-green when held up to light). (J. 1006. B. 1527.)

Also P. pencillatus. 30". Back, wing-coverts, and scapulars oil-green, margined dark green. Feathers bordering naked throat white. Tuft of long white hair-like feathers behind the ear. Pacific coast of N. America.

P. neglectus. 28". Back, wing-coverts, and scapulars ash, margined brown; no white band bordering chin and throat. S. Africa.

P. sulcirostris. 25". Head, neck, and below brownish black, with dull green gloss. Australia and New Zealand, ranging to New Guinea, the Moluccas and Borneo.

P. vigua. 30". Feathers of back, wing, and scapulars lanceolate. White band bordering chin and throat. Atlantic and Pacific coasts of S. and C. America.

P. mexicanus. 28". A subspecies similar to P. vigua. Gulf of Mexico.

P. carunculatus. 30", Below pure white. Legs red. Nasal caruncles well developed. New Zealand.

Also with legs and feet black:—

P. varius. 28". Scapulars bronze-grey, margined black. Lower back dark green. New Zealand.

P, gouldi. 24". Scapulars bronze-green, narrowly margined steel-blue. Lower back dark green. Australia, Tasmania, and Louisiade Archipelago.

P. hypoleucus. 27". Similar to P. gouldi, but feathering on throat not continued on lower mandible. W. Australia.

Also with semi-erect crest on crown.

P. graculus. 30". The Shag. Scapulars bronze-green, with narrow dark margins. Legs black. No white in plumage. Said to dive to a depth of 120 feet. Three to five eggs (2.5 x 1.5), white (emerald-green when held up to light). Coasts of Norway, from Norway to Portugal, extending to British Isles and Iceland.

P. desmaresti. A subspecies of P. graculus. Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas.

P. chalconotus. 28". Similar to P. graculus, but scapulars are edged pale green. Legs orange. New Zealand.

Also with single crest well developed. General colour below white;—

P. onslowi. 25". Foreneck white. Nasal caruncles well developed. Dorsal patch white.. From Chatham Island.

P. stewarti. 29". Similar to P. onslowi, but no nasal caruncles. Stewart and South Island, New Zealand.

P. colensoi. 25". Similar to P. onslowi, but without caruncles and the white dorsal patch-Auckland I.

P. campbelli. 25". Similar to P. colensoi, but foreneck is entirely black, tbe white on chin and throat forming an isolated patch. Campbell Island.

P. bougainvillii. 30". Similar to P. campbelli, but scapulars and wing-coverts margined greenish blue. Pacific coast of S. America.

P. magellanicus. 26". Throat black, a white patch on the ear-coverts. Southern coasts of S. America.

P. atriceps. 29". Similar to P. albiventer, but feathers round the eye white. South-west coast of S. America.

P. albiventer. 27". Feathers round the eye black. Nasal caruncles largely developed. No white dorsal patch. South coast of S. America.

P. verrucosus. 27". Similar to P. albiventer, but no trace of white bar on outer scapulars. Kerguelen Land.

Also with two crests, one on crown and one on nape. Beneath grey:—

P. punctatus. 29". No white flank-patch. Broad white eyebrow stripe continued down each side of neck to shoulder. New Zealand.

P. featherstoni. 25". Similar to P. punctatus, but no white eyebrow stripe. Chatham Islands.

Also with two crests. Beneath black:—

P. perspicillatus. 38". Feathers of face and crests purple. Spectacles of thick white skin round the eyes. Weight 12 to 14 lbs. Similar to P. bicristatus. Behring Island. Probably extinct.

P. bicristatus. 30". Forehead naked. Wing-coverts and scapulars dark purple. Crests bronze-green. E. Siberia to Alaska.

P. pelagicus. 27 1/2" to 30". Forehead feathered. Wing-coverts and scapulars violet-bronze with green reflections. Similar to P. bicristatus. Kamschatka to S. China, Alaska to W. Mexico.

Also with two crests, one on each side of crown :—

P. auritus. 31". Crest-feathers mostly or entirely black, Loral region and gular pouch deep orange. Labrador to Florida, W. Indies, Gulf of Mexico, extending far inland to W. Texas.

P. cincinnatus. 32". Differs from P. auritus in having crest-feathers white or mostly white. From Aleutian Islands and Alaska to Lower California and W. Mexico eastwards to Great Salt Lake.

With culmen less than 1 1/2" from feathers on forehead to tip.

The Indian Shag.

Phalacrocorax fuscicollis Steph., in Shaw's Gen. Zool., xiii, p. 91 (1825) (India); Blanf. & Oates, iv, p. 341.

Vernacular names. Same as the preceding, often with a prefix meaning small.

Description. - Breeding plumage. Feathers of the mantle and wings dark bronze-brown, each feather edged with black; a border to the pouch, a tuft behind the eye and speckles on the side of head and neck pure white; remainder of plumage black glossed with deep blue-green.

Colours of soft parts. Iris green or blue-green ; bill dark brown; base of lower mandible reddish-horny; gular skin yellow; naked skin of face black-purplish in the breeding-season yellowish at other times; legs and feet black.

Measurements. Wing 257 to 276 mm.; tail 132 to 144 mm.; tarsus about 47 to 52 mm.; culmen 50 to 61 mm.; generally 54 to 58 mm.

Young birds have the upper parts brown, the mantle more bronze and with black edges ; tail and primaries dark brown ; chin and throat white; fore-neck brown with white streaks; breast and abdomen white; flanks mottled brown and white.

Nestling in down sooty-black.

Distribution. All India, from Ceylon to the North Central Provinces and Bombay ; Cutch and Sind; South United Provinces as far North as Delhi; Western India to Orissa, Bengal and Assam ; all Burma, Manipur, Cachar and Sylhet.

Nidification. The Indian Shag breeds generally in July, August and September, very often in company with Herons, Egrets and other birds. The nest is always placed on trees, very often those standing in water but which in the dry season stand clear of the water on banks and higher land. In Madras and again in Gujarat and Sind this Cormorant sometimes breeds during the Cold Weather and Bulkly found them making their nests in the same trees as those occupied by the Large Cormorant. The nests and eggs are small replicas of those of the preceding bird and the latter number three to five. One hundred average 51.3 x 33.2 mm.: maxima 55.8 x 35.6 mm.; minima 46.3 x 31.8 mm.

Habits. Quite typical of the genus, though this bird is never found either breeding or fishing in such large colonies and flocks as the Large Cormorant. On the Mekran and South coasts all three species of Cormorant may be seen fishing in the sea and both the Large Cormorant and Shag breed in the mangrove swamps on the mangrove trees in company with Herons of various kinds.

Phalacrocorax fuscicollis Stephens in Shaw's Gen. Zool., vol. xiii (1), p. 91, 1825: India.