DIKECTOKY TO BIRDS OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA. 31 



all times. Walk well and perch entrees with ease; when 

 sitting, the head is usually held back with the bill down 

 and resting on the breast, fig, 32. Sexes, similar. 



a. Pelicans. Pelecanus. 



Characters as above. 



1. WHITE PELICAN, P. erythrorhynchos. One of 

 our largest birds, 68.00; primaries and most of the seconda- 

 ries, black ; center of scapularies, andtail feathers, salmon ; 

 spot on breast and wing coverts, pale straw ; iris, white in 

 summer, brown in winter; bill, naked space about face and 

 gula sac, yellow ; there is a central elevation on the bill in 

 summer, fig. 31, which is moulted in autumn. Winter adults 

 and young are without the salmon and straw markings. Feed 

 by swimming and scooping the small fishes, upon which it 

 usually subsists, into its gula sac by a side movement of the 

 head that is often entirely submerged ; the sac is then con- 

 tracted and the water forced out on either side of the bill; 

 the fish are then swallowed at once. After feeding, all rise 

 to a considerable height and circle about for an hour or 

 more. Rest on isolated sandbars at night and often resort to 

 them by day. Breed in the interior of IST. A. from Utah north- 

 ward ; common in West Florida and along the Gulf coast in 

 winter ; go north in early April to breed Fig. 32. 



in May; return south in Sep. ; now rath- 

 er rare on the Atlantic coast, but stray- 

 ing as far north as Mass. 



2. BROWX PELICAN, P. fuscus. 

 50.00 ; above, grayish with feathers more 

 or less margined with dark-brown ; head 

 and stripe on neck adjoining gula sac, 

 white, the former tinged with yellow; 

 remainder of neck, dark chestnut-brown ; 

 beneath, sooty-black, streaked with whit- 

 ish ; patch on breast, pale straw; iris, 

 white; bill, whitish edged on lower man- 

 dible and tipped on upper with red; na- E, A, a, 2. 1-20. 



