186 



NATURAL HISTORY' OF BIRDS. 



SucJi a sjiccics is our North American white julican {Felecanus erythrorhynchos), 

 formerly confoun<lctl with the species tiginvd. A very distinctive and reinarkahle 

 feature, Imwever, is the irreirular protuljerance on the culmeii, which is equally devel- 

 opcil in lioth sexes. Mr. liohcrt IJiilgway, who, in ISOS, ilnrint; a visit to the island 

 in Pyramid Lake, Nevada, discovered the regular shedding of this horn, or ' centre- 



f ill » 



mM}^^. 



,. I ;i 



''■*vv 



Fio. 90. — Pelecanus onocrotaliu, European \rhite-pelican. 



board,' as it was aii|iro]inaluly called by the inhabitants of the neighborhood, describes 

 it as follows: "The maxillary excrescence varies creatly both in size and shai)e. 

 Fre(jm'nlly it consists of a single ]«iece, iiearly as hi<;h as lonir, its vertical outlines 

 almost jiMrallel, and the upper outline quite regularly convex, the largest sjiecinien seen 

 being about three inches liigh by as many in length. ^lore frequently, however, it is 

 very irregular in shajie, usually less elevated, and not infrequently with ra2<red ante- 



