24 Supplements to the History

than the toes, the beak is dark blue, and the head is small. The lower feathers are brown with red interspersed, while the upper ones are a variegated purple, then blackish, green, and iridescent. The head and neck are covered with feathers of brown, white, and green, with a slight yellowish tint. The eyes are black, with a blood-red iris. However, from the corners of the eyes to the beak, at a distance of one inch, the skin is featherless and a reddish-white. The wings shine with a bright green color; they are violet near the base, and then filled with green and peacock-like hues. This bird is constantly found near the Mexican lakes, where it feeds on fish and raises its young in the lakeside regions.

Regarding the Chinese sea crow, the Augustinian Mendoza provides the following account. The King of China maintains buildings in every city located near rivers, where many sea crows are raised. Through their labor, fishing is carried out in a truly remarkable way, especially during the months when fish have spawned. Officials bring the crows out from these buildings to the riverbanks, where fishing boats are kept half-full of water. These boats are arranged in order, and a single crow is assigned to each one.

The crows are then tied with a long cord under their wings, and another cord is tightened around their throat to prevent them from swallowing the fish they catch. Afterward, the birds are released to hunt. They perform their duty with such diligence that they inspire admiration in all who watch: for these birds dive with great speed and remain underwater until they have filled their gullet from beak to chest. Afterward, they emerge and return to the boats with the same speed, repeating the process until the boats are full. At that point, the constraint around their throat is loosened and they are released to hunt for their own food. They are quite famished, as they were provided with no food on the day preceding the fishing to make them more eager for the hunt.

However, one must wonder, given the mention of a throat-pouch—and since the author mentions nothing of the birds' color or condition—whether this bird should be classified not as a type of water crow, but rather as a pelican.

Be that as it may, we now present the reader with an illustration of the water crow, or cormorant, as we have found it in the public museum. This animal was also discussed in the third volume of our *Ornithology*, as this bird is referred to by Albertus as both the water cormorant and the Great Black Diver.