THE WHITE PELICAN 



Pelecanus Onocrotalus 



General colour of plumage a rosy white ; the larger flight- 

 feathers of wing, black ; beak grey ; pouch, a bright yellow ; 

 eyes red. Entire length, 60 inches. 



The Pelican has the honour of being, in Egypt, as 

 far as sheer length of wing goes, the largest bird 

 that flies ; for the span of wings from tip to tip has 

 been recorded as twelve feet. I believe the span 

 of the Griffon Vulture is only about eight feet. 

 Thirty years ago Pelicans were more often seen 

 than they are to-day. This does not necessarily 

 mean that they are less numerous, but only that, 

 from some cause or another, they do not come 

 within range of observation. I think the traffic on 

 the river having so altered is the probable explana- 

 tion. I can only recall one case of late, of seeing 

 Pelican on a sandbank, and that was very early in 

 the morning, practically daybreak. Years ago it 

 was not an uncommon thing to see hundreds rest- 

 ing and recruiting on some lonely reach of the river. 

 Captain Shelley says that in *' April 1870, below 

 Edfoo, we met with an immense flock of several 



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