PELECANID^. 859 



Bill pale bluish, tinged with carneous, yellow at the tip ; naked 

 face and gular pouch pale livid fleshy, the latter varied with red- 

 dish lines, and faintly tinged with yellow ; irides pale brown ; legs 

 fleshy. Length 5 feet 2 inches ; wing 24 inches ; extent 8 feet ; 

 tails inches; tarsus 3 ; bill at front 12 to 14; middle toe 4. 



The young bird has the plumage uniformly pale brownish-grey, 

 or rufous-gre}^, the feathers being grey in the centre, pale rufous- 

 brown in the margins ; back and rump white ; quills and tail as in 

 the adult bird. 



This bird is somewhat allied to P. rufescens, which has the frontal 

 plumes similarly arranged, and is of about the same size, and one 

 specimen from India, in the Museum of the Asiatic Society, marked 

 by Blyth Philippeitsis, appears to me to be undoubted P. rufescens. 

 It has the back fine pale vinous rufescent ; upper tail-coverts white, 

 and tail grey ; but the character of the plumage is much more lanceo- 

 late than is the case in general with Philippensis ; the bill, however, 

 is marked precisely as in that spceies, a condition which does 

 not appear to be noticed in the descriptions of rufescens. Hartlaub, 

 however, had previously considered them identical, for which he 

 was rebuked by the Prince of Canino. Lichtenstein remarks 

 that " the characters attributed to P. Phili/ipensis appear to agree 

 so well with those of rufescens that they must be considered the 

 same bird." As I have lately examined a good many specimens 

 of the grey Pelican, none of which showed any rufous on the 

 back, I am hardly prepared to accept this conclusion fully ; but, 

 from the extreme resemblance in all other points shown by the 

 Indian specimen above alluded to, it must either be conceded that 

 rufescens is a fully adult state (perhaps of one sex"* of Philippensis, 

 or that P. rufescens, if distinct, is al'^o an inhabitant of India. 

 Lichtenstein also states that he conjectures that P. roseris and 

 P. manillensis are the same species ; but it will be seen that I 

 have already concluded roseus to be the same as Juvanicus.^ 



The grey Pelican is the most abundant species found in India, 

 occurrinnf in all districts where rivers and tanks abound, and breed- 



* I trust that observers favorably situated will procure specimens of all Pelicans, 

 and favor me witli their observations, or send the birds to the Museum of the Asiatic 

 Society, Calcutta. 



