PELEOANUS ERYTIIUOliUYNCUUS. 631 



coiii2)anies, or sinylu birds ilyiiig up and down tlio river, quite near the 

 ground; and it was noticed that only a portion of them possessed the 

 " center-board," although all exhibited the high-colors of the feet and pouch 

 found only iu the fully adult birds in the breeding-season. 



A few da3's after our arrival, we visited the island before mentioned. 

 This island is situated about twelve miles from tlu; month ol' the river, on 

 the southeastern shore, and about three miles from the nearest point on the 

 eastern side, just off which is the remarkable " Pyramid," from which the 

 lake receives its name — a wonderfully regular pyramidal rock aljoiit three 

 hundred feet high, with a triangular base. The island itself is about three 

 miles in circuit; its central portion culminates in two peaks having a height 

 of about five hundred feet above the surface of the lake, while the northern 

 and southern extremities run out in long, pointed beaches, the intervening 

 eastern shore being a sloping jjlateau, witli a water-front of jx-rpendicular 

 though broken rocks. In a cave on tliis rocky shore was the eyrie of a 

 Bald Eagle, which was inaccessible from any point, although it could be 

 plainly seen from above through a crevice in the rocks. The southern 

 point of the island was overgrown by grease-wood bushes of an imusually 

 large size, and on the top of each of these was the nest of a pair of Great 

 Blue Herons {Ardea heroclias); the more elevated and rocky northern shore 

 was covered by the nests of an immense colony of Gulls (Larus califonmns), 

 while the northeastern point, a long strip of low gravelly beach, extending 

 for a hundred yards or more out into the lake from the main shore, was 

 the portion of the island whic^li had Ixcii selected l)y the Pelicans as their 

 breeding-grouiul. This drove of Pelicans, which comprised several liuii- 

 dred pairs, had previously, during the same season, laid their eggs on the 

 highest part of the eastern plateau, where we found the fragments of their 

 eggs, which had been destroyed by their incessjint enemies, the Gulls, 

 sti-ewn over an area of about two acres' extent. This <dd breeding-ground 

 was discovered by us during our first exploration of the island, and it was 

 not until a week or so later that we found the new settlement. The site 

 of the latter was a low gravelly point extending a inindred yards or more 

 beyond the main beach, and when first discovered was covered by a com- 

 pact body of Pelicans, which to all appearance were merely resting, since 



