G32 ORNITHOLOGY. 



many of them were standing. Upon proceeding to the spot, however, it 

 was found that the latter were male birds, standing beside their mates, who 

 were, themselves, sitting on their eggs. At our approach all of them flew, 

 and alighted some distance out upon the water. The ground was then 

 found to be literally covered with their nests, which occupied nearly if not 

 quite one-half of the surface, each nest consisting merely of a heap of gravel 

 raked into a pile and flattened on top, and without any additional material, 

 such as sticks and feathers, like those of the Gulls. No nest contained more 

 than a single egg, which is no doubt explained by the fact that they had 

 laid once before that season. One hundred and nine, altogether, were picked 

 up, and when blown were found to be perfectly fresh. Many nests were 

 empty, so that it is altogether likely some of the birds had not laid yet. 

 These eggs were, with scarcely an excejition, conspicuously blood-stained, 

 caused in part by their large size, but chiefly by the roughness of their 

 calcareous coating; the haemorrhage being in some instances so copious 

 that half the surface was discolored. 



It was dm-ing this visit to Pyramid Lake that the fact that the man- 

 dibular excrescence characteristic of this species is deciduous was confirmed, 

 it having been first ascertained, so far as we know, several years previous, 

 by Mr. II. G. Parker, of Carson City, a very careful and intelligent observer, 

 at that time United State Superintendent of Indian iVifairs for Nevada, who 

 accompanied us upon our several visits to the lake. Upon our arrival there, 

 early in May, it was noticed that quite a number of the Pelicans did not 

 possess this appendage, but it was supposed that these were females ; and 

 it was also observed tlwit there was a very perceptible daily increase in the 

 number of such individuals. When we first visited the island none of these 

 curious appendages, appropriately styled by Mr. Parker "center-boards," 

 were noticed ; but in the course of a few days they became so numerous 

 that a bushel of them could have been j^icked up in a short time. Some 

 had been recently dropped, as was readily detected from the soft texture 

 of the surface where thoy had l)ecn joined to the culmen, ^hile others were 

 dried and warped by the sun, having been cast for some time. Among the 

 large number examined, we found none corresponding in .shape with that 

 figured and described by Mr. Audubon, namely, "about one inch high * * 



