PELICAN ISLAND 



103 



head from side to side, biting' one wing- and whirling around 

 to l)ite the other in the most ludicrous manner. 



It is inexplicable that the same performance, in an exag- 

 gerated degree, is gone through with by the bird which has 

 been permitted to feed, after it emerges from the parent's 

 pouch. For a moment it seems dazed, perhaps because of 



Young Pelican after feeding 

 " Lays its head on the ground as though it liad received a violent blow " 



lack of air as well as by the size of the meal it has secured. 

 It lays its head on the ground as though it had received a 

 violent blow, but soon this apparent semi-consciousness is 

 followed by the most violent reaction as the bird arising to 

 its feet grasps its wing, waves its head and behaves in the 

 same crazy way as the bird which has been denied a meal. 

 Possibly this surprising exercise may aid the bird in swal- 

 lowing, when the same exhibition after the bird has 

 attempted and failed to get a meal, should be considered the 

 result of suggestion. 



The young Pelican although repeatedy disowned is often 

 persistent in its demands for food and when only two young 

 are present the parent frequently finds difficulty in adminis- 

 tering to her own. Even when the right bird has succeeded 

 in finally establishing connections with its parent, the 



