92 FLORIDA BIRD-LIFE 



ing habits. Birds of all ages and voices, from the grunting, 

 naked, squirming new-born chick or the S(M'eaming, downy 

 youngster, to the silent, dignified, white-headed parents, 

 were within a few yards of my blind. At a glance I could see 

 most of the activities of Pelican home-life ; nest building, 

 laying, incubating, feeding and brooding young, l)athing, 

 preening, sleeping, fighting ; while the great number of indi- 

 viduals made it possible to check one's observation 

 repeatedly. 



The early return of the birds in the fall of 1907 in con- 

 nection with a favorable season, resulted in an exceptionally 

 uniform and rapid development of their domestic affairs, 

 giving me in March, 1908, an opportunity to study the colony 

 at a more advanced stage than I had previously found it. 

 The following outline of the bird's home-life is based chiefly 

 on the observations made in 1905 and 1908 in connection 

 with certain facts supplied by "Warden Kroegel. 



The Nest.- — Even in the tropics birds, as a rule, do not 

 nest until spring or early summer, when a return of the 

 rainy season assures them of an abundance of food for their 

 young ; but the Pelican woos Ms mate in November, or, as 

 we have seen, even October. Among such dumb and unde- 

 monstrative birds courtship must be a very solemn affair, 

 but that is a subject we know very little about. Apparently, 

 however, it is conducted to the satisfaction of both contract- 

 ing parties, and with the happiest results ; for never have T 

 seen indications of domestic troubles among the indigenes 

 of Pelicanland. 



"Wlien there were still trees upon the island, the first 

 nests built were placed in them, in response to the normal 

 habit of the species. Wlien the arboreal sites were taken, 

 the remaining birds built their nests upon the ground. Now. 

 however, there is no choice and all the birds are of necessity 

 terrestrial. 



Later observations confirm the opinion expressed in 1900 

 ("Bird Siijdips with a Pnmera." p. 20,'5) but quesfionod in 



