l62 DAVENPORT ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



Genus Pelecanus I^innaeus. 



24. (125). Pclecanus crythrorliy)iclios Gmel. American White 

 Pelican. 



The White Pelican is a rather rare but regular migrant across 

 the state, quite large flocks being sometimes seen flying, or even 

 alighting, in unexpected localities. It has not been known to 

 nest in the state. 



The earliest records appear to be those of Lewis and Clark 

 (Hist, of ly. and C. Exp., i, 70): "August 8, 1804 — Two miles 

 beyond this river (Little Sioux) is a long island which we called 

 Pelican Island, from the numbers of that bird which were feeding 

 on it; one of these being killed, we poured into his bag five gal- 

 lons of water. . . . We camped on the north (in Monona county, 

 Iowa). . . . Sept. 4, 1806 (Floyd's Bluff, below Sioux City). 

 There is no game on the river except wild geese and pelicans." 

 Thomas Say records the arrival of the Rough-billed Pelican {P. 

 erythrorhynchos) at Engineers' Cantonment, April 8, 1820 (Long's 

 Exp., i, 266-270). Prince Maximilian (Rei.se, i, 287) ob.served 

 the flight of a flock of more than one hundred Pelicans, above the 

 mouth of the Little Nemaha, on the right bank. John James 

 Audubon (Journals, i, 484), on May 11, 1843, says: "We have 

 seen several pelicans," etc. (below mouth of Little Sioux, Har- 

 rison county, Iowa); and "Oct. 3 (Little Sioux), several pelicans. 

 . . . Oct. 6 (below Fort Croghan), killed two pelicans, but got 

 only one." 



Several specimens of the White Pelican are reported as killed 

 every year, but the number seems to be decreasing in the state 

 owing to the practice of hunters wantonly slaughtering any such 

 rare or unusual bird which appears within gun-range. The 

 majority of the spring records appear to come in April, but occa- 

 .sionally they come in March, and J. Eugene Law saw one on Bear 

 Lake, Minn., just across the state line from Winnebago county, 

 on May 27, 1896. In the fall they migrate from the middle of 

 September until early October. One specimen in the University 

 collection. No. 1412, was taken August 8, 1896, in Johnson county, 

 by John Bauer; others, September 25, 1888 (Johnson); September 

 22, 1886 (Jonhson); October i, 1902, (Johnson); September 28, 

 1902 (Iowa county). 



