Julie shanafelt, age 9, of sarasota, fla., for her question:

The cormorant likes to perch on a ledge of a lofty cliff near the sea. From a distance, he looks like a big, black, long necked bottle. But this handsome water bird. Does not rest very long. Most of his time is spent fishing. The cormorant is one of the best, and he is certainly the busiest fisherman in the world of birds.     The name cormorant means the sea raven, but the big, black bird is not related to the sassy raven. He is a cousin of the pelican. Both the pelican and the cormorant are webbed footed water birds, and both of them are known to be greedier than a greedy pig. The cormorant's food is fish, fish and still more fish. There are not enough fish in the ocean, it seems, to fill his tummy. His supermarket is the sea or some inland lake. He dives and swims after his dinner under water. He swims with his wide, webbed feet and sometitiles also uses his Wings to cut his way through the water. As a rule, the cormorant does not attack the fish we use for food, so he is not a threat to us. He can stay under water a long Time. Then up he comes with a fish in his long, curved beak. Quick as a flash, the Cormorant gulps his slippery snack and dives down for a second helping.     There are 25 species of cormorant living along the shores and lakes of the world. They are slim, elegant birds standing about three feet tall. Their short, furry thick feathers are usually black, while some have bare patches of gaudy colored skin on their necks and faces.     The greedy cormorant was noticed by fishermen in ancient times. In the orient he was captured and put to work, and fishing with cormorants still goes on. The work is done at night by torchlight. Six or so of the big birds are blindfolded with hoods and tethered to a flat boat.     When the hood is removed, each bird is eager to dive and grab a fish, but he cannot swallow it. He wears a metal collar and the fish is too big to squeeze through the ring around his neck. After work, the collar is removed and each bird is given his share of the catch.     In summer, flocks of cormorants fly in y formations to their breeding grounds. They nest in colonies in trees or on the bare ground. Each family has two to four inky black chicks, and each parent takes a turn feeding them. The food is partly digested in the parent bird's crop, and each youngster thrusts his bill down mama's or papa's throat to get his dinner.