St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-04-18

20
uasAs vieA 1sgslas MaAaes aaa Iaws ~
hAang - sssaaesea
Cormorant colonies are scarce On our
eastern and southeastern eoest. They
need high and inaccessible cli6s il
which to nest and roost together. and
NO such cliffs are seen from Flam-
hsfough head to Dover The main col
onies Of he eastern channel are those
in the chalk clilEs Of the Isle Of Wight.
Thence the beFds ny every day At dawn
TO their fishing grounds. and thither
each night they return ut dusk. with the
regularity Of city men travelling home
by rail.
The business OF the day II ~ CAREFUL
" regulated n their times of departure
and return. The roosting places ON
the .Nain Beach" cliR 1t Bembsidge il
invisitae from the crest above. for at
that point the brow Of the cliff over
hangs the faee. At day'-reak the col
ony leave the crag. and, hying up into
the tuft above, settle ON . large slope
which gives them . complete command
for many hundred yards inland, and
there arrange their feathers and conn
.plete their toilet after the nights re-
pose. Then the company divide. flying
in pairs or snssn groups. arranged I'm
the perfect v formation, to separate
and apparently predetermined fishing
grounds. In the Solent 6sh are less
plentiful than they were. and each bird
seems to frequent some particular sta
ti0n. which IL does not leave till dusk.
The greater numbers hy out to sea. ~
II bound on . journey to France, bat
others arc "lon9shoFe" birds, and may
be seen at their posts throughout the
season. Five or six haunt the buOys
which lie between the ''ToEeland and
the Nab light.
No strange coFmoTant il allowed to
sit ON these bu0ys. II one should sp-
pear, the local bird rises from the deepa,
flying low and strai9ht. charges the in
| truder and hurls him into the ses.
Among the ancAnred sea marks are
one or two "caged buoys," inside which
hangs . bell. At times . cormorant
squeezes through the barA which are
ret 10 ~ to make IL possible to enter
| from without, but diBcult to emerge.
The bird would starve II not rescued;
but to open the cage and eject the
cormoFant il NO easy matter. The buoy
rolls and swings, and the cormorant,
| ignorant Of the intended rescue, -hOlds
the fort" defending the entrance with
| the greatest courage.
An ingenious Bcmbridge fisherman
recently undertook to release one OF
these Gagged cormorants. He opened
the cage and spproached to catch the
bird. The cormosant's beak cuts like
. pair Of shears. and his aim was as
swift and unerriDg - that with which
he seizes the Ash below water. But the
bird was mastered, tied, and laid in the
Loat. though the captor's hands were
cut in every direction. One pair Of
cormorants always frequsnt the har-
bor, where they and numbers Of sand
cells. These birds are far tanner than
the rest. seldom rising 70 Ay unless the
small yachts and ''half-raters' racing
round the harbor approach within 50
yards. During gale. VIXEN the har-
l,or il too rough for small boats, the
writer has seen . c0rnsorant rise from
the water. zap leisurely to one Of tho
small yachts lying up just opposite the
sailing clubhouse. and there sit. drying
its feathers. within e3 yards Of the
quay.-London Spectator.