38 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology. 



Pelecanus erijthrorhynchos BRTAyx, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2(1 ser., II. 1889, 257 (San 

 Jose del Cabo; Cape St. Lucas ; La Pazj. 



The White Pelican apparently visits the Cape Region only in winter, and 

 then in but small numbers. According to Mr. Eidgway it was found by Mr. 

 Xantus at Cape St. Lucas (date not recorded) ; and in January and February 

 at San Jos^ del Cabo, where Mr. Frazar also saw a flock of about thirty on 

 November 11, 1887. ilr. Belding met with it only once, at La Paz on Feb- 

 ruary 17, 1883, when two were observed. ^Ir. Frazar says that the people at 

 San Jose del Cabo are all familiar with the bird, but consider it of rare occur- 

 rence. Mr. Bryant's only record is of a flock seen "a little more than one 

 hundred miles northward from Magdalena, on the Pacific Coast." Dr. Cooper 

 mentions the species as " common on the coast of California in winter, though 

 few reach San Diego." It was " occasionally seen in large flocks on Rio Mazat- 

 lan, in Western Mexico," by Colonel Grayson, and on the "west coast of 

 Central America " by Mr. Salvin.i Hence it sometimes passes well to the 

 southward of Cape St. Lucas. 



Pelecanus californicus Ridgw. 

 California Brown Pelican. 



Pelecanus fiiscus Belding, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V; 1883, 54-5 (mortality at Cape 



St. Lucas and San Jose'; descr.), 518 (San Jose'). Ridgway, Ibid., 545, 



footnote (crit). 

 Pelecanus californicus Anthony, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser , II. 1889, 8.3-85 



(descr. nest, eggs and habits on San Martin Island). Bryant, Ibid., 257-260 



(Cape Region; feeding habits at Magdalena Bay). 



Seven specimens of the California Brown Pelican, collected by Mr. Frazar 

 at La Paz on January 28, confirm most satisfactorily the characters proposed 

 by Mr. Ridgway for P. californicus, at least as far as the relationship of this 

 form with P. fuscus is concerned. The most striking points of distinction l^e- 

 tween the two species are the larger size of californicus and the peculiar color- 

 ing of its nape. This with adult birds in perfect nuptial condition is so very 

 dark brown as to look perfectly black in most lights, there being no apprecia- 

 ble tinge of chestnut except on a short space just back of the occiput. The nape 

 of fuscus is much lighter and redder, varying in color from chestnut to rich seal 

 brown, which is never sufiiciently dark to be mistaken for black. The white- 

 necked winter adults and plain brown young of californicus appear to be colored 

 exactly like those o? fuscus, but the two species may be easily separated by size 

 provided care is taken to compare birds of the same sex, the males of both 

 being considerably larger than the females and the male of fuscus sometimes 

 quite as large as the female of californicus. The color of the pouch is always 

 lighter in dried skins of californicus than in those of fuscus, but with freshly 



1 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Water Birds N. Amer., 11. 1881, 136. 



