870 



U. S. p. R R. EXP. AND SITRVEYS — ZOOLOGY — GENERAL REPORT. 



Onocrotalus, W a g 1 e r . 



PELECANUS FUSCUS, Linnaeus. 



Brown Pelican. 



Pelecanusfuscus, Linn. Syst. Nat. 1766, 215.— Bon. Syn. 1828, No. 352.— Nutt. Man. II, 1834, 476.— Aud. Orn. 



Biog. Ill, 1835, 376; V, 1839, 212. -Ib. Syn. 1839.— 1b. Birds Am. VII, 1844, 32; pi. 



ccccxxiii and ccccxxiv. 

 Leptopelicanusfusms, Reich. Syst. Av. 1850; pi. Ixx. 

 Onocrotalus J'uscus , Bon. Cons. Av. II, 1855, 163. 



Sp. Ch. — Head with a short occipital crest of light reddisli brown ; bill greyish white, more or less dusky, and marked with 

 pale carmine spots; a large pouch appended to the under mandible ; below the color is very dark ash, above hoary ; second 

 primary longest ; legs stout. 



^dult male. Head white, except on the fore part, where it is yellow ; sides of the neck adjoining the pouch white ; hind part 

 of neck and lower part in front dark chestnut brown, the short crest pale reddish brown ; back and wings greyish ash, with 

 dusky margins, the former color prevailing on the larger wing coverts and scapulars; primaries brownish black, secondaries 

 dark ashy brown, with their outer margins greyish white ; shafts of the primaries white until near the end, when they become 

 black ; tail greyish ash, with the shafts of the feathers white for one-half their length ; terminal half black ; under plumage 

 dark brownish ash, with the sides of the body from the neck for its entire length, marked with narrow longitudinal white lines ; 

 on the lower part of the neck is a small patch of pale yellow ; bill greyish white, tinged with brown and intermixed with spots 

 of pale carmine ; the lower mandible blackish at the end, and having underneath a large punch similar in character to that of 

 the preceding species, but of a greenish black color, with the ridges formed by the wrinkles paler ; bare skin surroundmg the 

 eye deep blue ; iris white, the eyelids pink ; legs and feet black. 



The plumage of the fully adult female is similar in color to that of the male ; the feathers of the head are rather rigid, not 

 downy as in the male. 



In the young the plumage generally is of a dusky brown. 



Length of male, 56 inches ; wing, 22 ; bill, 13.50 ; tarsi, 3 ; tail, 6.50. 



Hab. — From Texas to North Carolina ; California coast. 



The brown pelican is a permanent resident of our southern coast and the shores of the Gulf 

 of Mexico, also of California. Their nests are placed on trees, and also on the ground. Its 

 general habits are much like those of the preceding species, but their mode of procuring food 

 is quite different ; they dart upon their prey from on wing, fretjuently immersing the whole 

 body, but immediately rising on wing, dart down again and again until hunger is allayed. 



According to Mr. Audubon, its ordinary food consists of fishes of rather a small size, not 

 often taking any longer than its bill ; attached to specimen No. 9959 is a note by Mr. Cassidy, 

 stating that he has seen a fish weighing 2-^ pounds taken from the pouch of one of this species. 



List of specimens. 



