196 BIRDS OF THE BAHAMA ISLANDS. 
BAM. PELECANIDZ:: 
PEETCANS: 
PELECANUS FUSCUS. Linn. 
BROWN PELICAN. 
Winter Plumage, Male.— Sack, dark purple. Above, slate-color 
and dark brown variegated; neck of the adult, reddish brown; head, 
mostly white; bill, darker, marked with red; feet, purplish black; 
iris, yellowish. Females generally have the neck yellowish white. 
Length 53, wing 18, tail 7.40, tarsus 2.50, bill ro. 
5 re) gS) 7-4 9) 
The present species is abundant throughout the Bahamas, where 
it is a resident, and breeds in great numbers on some of the islands. 
While paddling among the mangroves, I often observed it sitting 
upright on the half-sunken branches, or floating silently with the 
tide, watching keenly for any fish that might come within reach of 
its long beak, which it uses with great dexterity. 
Incubation commences the latter part of January; the nest, which 
is very roughly constructed, is generally built on the mangroves. Dr. 
Bryant found it very abundant. He says, “At the Biminis, the 
Brown Pelican was numerous, and breeding on the mangroves in 
