PELICANS. 



435 



The brown pelican procures its food on the wing, and in a manner quite 

 dififerent to that of the white pehcan. " A flock will leave their resting-place, 

 proceed over the waters in search of fish, and when a shoal is perceived, 

 separate at once, when each from an elevation of from fifteen to twenty-five 

 feet plunges in an oblique and somewhat winding direction : spreading its 

 wings. It stretches its lower mandible and pouch as it reaches the water, and 

 suddenly scoops up the object of its pursuit,— immersing the head and neck, 

 and sometimes the body, for an instant. It immediately swallows its prey, 

 rises on wing;, dashes on another fish, seizes and devours it ; and thus con- 

 tinues, sometimes plunging eight or ten times in a few minutes, and always 



Fig 212.— The White Pelican {Pelecamts Onoctvtalus). 



with unerring aim. When gorged, it rests on the water for awhile ; but if it 

 has a brood, or a mate sitting on her eggs, it flies off at once towards them, 

 no matter how heavily laden it may be. The generally-received idea that 

 pelicans keep fish or water in their pouch, to convey to their young, is quite 

 erroneous. The water which enters the pouch when it is immersed is imme- 

 diately forced out between the partially-closed mandibles ; and the fish, unless 

 larger than those on which they usually feed, is instantly swallowed, tci be 

 afterwards disgorged for the use of the young, either partially macerated or 

 whole, according to the age and size of the latter. They at times follow the 

 porpoise when that animal is in pursuit of prey, and as the fishes rise from 



28 — 2 



