CORMORANTS—Family Phalacrocoracidæ.
FARALLONE CORMORANT.
120c. Phalacrocorax auritus albociliatus. 30 inches.
Plumage glossy greenish black, with back and wings slaty. These birds breed in large numbers on the Farallones, placing their nests well up on the higher ridges and also in the trees on some of the inland islands, or near large ponds or lakes. They build large nests of sticks and roots, lined with grass, seaweed and moss.
Nest.—Three to five chalky, greenish white eggs are laid (2.40 × 1.50).
BRANDT CORMORANT.
122. Phalacrocorax penicillatus. 35 inches.
Plumage, under parts are same as above. Bill more slender and nearly straight. The young are hatched without feathers or down and the skin is nearly black. The young for two or three months are the food supply for the larger Gulls. Like the other Cormorants breeding on these islands, they stay closely by their nests to protect them from the Gulls that are always on the watch for either the eggs or young.
Range.—Pacific coast, breeding along the whole coast of the United States.