42 PELICANS 



head with purplish green crests ; neck with loose white filaments ; rump 

 and large patch on flanks white ; head and hody dark giossy green, 

 changing to rich purple on neck and purplish green on wings ; quills and 

 tail black. Fost-hreeding pluinage : crests, white filaments, and white 

 flank patch wanting. Young : dusky brown, lighter on head ; upper parts 

 darker, with a tinge of green. Wing: 10.00-11.40, tail 6.25-8.50, bill 

 1.70-2.10. 



Distribution. — Coast of Alaska and British Columbia to Washington. 



Nest. — Usually on a ledge of bold-faced rock, large, made of seaweed, a 

 few grass-stalks, and excrement. Eggs : o to 4, pale blue to white. 



The Eskimo use this cormorant's skin for clothing, an^the white 

 filaments from the flanks for fringes in their ornamental work. 



123b. P. p. resplendens (Aud.). BAran Cormorant. 



Coloration as in pelagicus, size smaller, bill nearly as long, but slenderer. 

 Wing: 9.30-10.50, tail 5.80-7.00, bill 1.65-2.00. 



Distribution. — Pacific coast from Cape Flattery to Mazatlan, Mexico. 



The Baird cormorant is usually lees common than the Farallone 

 or Brandt cormorants, breeding apart from them in communities on 

 the islands or rock}^ points off shore. 



FAMILY PELECANIDiE : PELICANS. 



GENUS PELECANUS. 



General Characters. — Bill much longer than head, upper mandible flat ; 

 a large pouch of elastic, naked skin hung as a fish-net from flexible sides 

 of lower mandible. 



KEY TO SPECIES. 



1. Color mainly white erythrorhynchos, p. 42. 



1'. Color mainly grayish brown californicus, p. 43. 



Subgenus Cyrtopelicanus. 



125. Pelecanus erythrorhynchos Gmel. American White 



Pelican. 



Tail feathers 24. Breeding 2}lumage : mainly white, primaries and most 



of secondaries black ; back of head with thin white or yellowish crest, breast 



and lesser wing coverts with narrow lanceolate yellowish feathers ; upper 



