PELECANUS EltYTUllOimYlSlCnUS. 631 



companies, or single birds flying up and down the 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 in the fully adult birds in the breeding-season. 



A few da}-s after our arrival, we visited tlie island before mentioned. 

 This island is situated about twelve miles from the mouth of tlie river, on 

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

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

 lake receives its name — a wonderfully regular pyramidal rock about 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 plateau, with a water-front of perpendicular 

 though broken rocks. In a cave on this 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. Tlie southern 

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

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

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

 Avas covered by the nests of an immense colony of Gulls (Larus califon/icKs), 

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

 f( >r a hundred yards or more out into the lake from the main shore, was 

 the portion of the island which had been selected b}^ the Pelicans as their 

 breeding-ground. This drove of Pelicans, which comprised several hun- 

 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 incessant enemies, the Gulls, 

 strewn over an area of about two acres' extent. This old 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 hundred yards or more 

 be}'ond the main beach, and when first discovered was co\cred by a com- 

 pact Ijody of Pelicans, which to all ap})earance were merely resting, since 



