Zoological Explorations. 255 



seen at Chemavvawin. Above Grand Rapids was a favorite 

 resting place of these birds, a flock of about thirty being seen 

 almost daily standing on the rocks in the middle of the river. 

 There are said to be extensive breeding places of this pelican 

 on Lake Winnipeg, one of the islands in the lake being called 

 "Pelican Island." 



I have never seen this species dive from anv considerable 

 height above the water, as does the brown pelican, and it 

 seems to make greater use of its gular pouch for storing lish 

 than does the latter species. 



One specimen shot while resting on the rocks had a fish 

 twenty inches long in its pouch. Among a large number of 

 brown pelicans collected by me in Florida, not a single one 

 had a fish in its pouch, and I have frequently seen them swal- 

 low fish immediately upon catching them. 



One specimen of the white pelican shot at Grand Rapids 

 had the inside of the gular pouch fairly swarming with para- 

 sites. 



During the last summer, I saw the pouch put to a. use 

 which was new, to me at least. On a verv hot day I was 

 watching the pelicans in Lincoln Park, Chicago, and saw that 

 they had the pouches considerably distended, and their mouths 

 open, while the birds seems to be panting much as an over- 

 heated dog would. At the same time I noticed a rythmic pul- 

 sation, if I may use the w^ord, of the pouch. By taking a 

 position which placed one of the birds between a very bright 

 reflection of the sun on the water and myself, I could see 

 numerous large blood vessels, which seemed greatly distended, 

 in the walls of the pouch. The question arose : Were not the 

 birds using the pouch as a dog does his tongue in panting, to 

 cool the over-heated blood? Neither pelicans nor dogs can 

 perspire, and the birds may have been cooling themselves by 

 a constant application of fresh air to the intensely vascular 

 inner surface of the pouch. Both the white and brown peli- 

 cans were going through the performance above described. 



Three specimens secured: all 3; none of them, however, 

 had the peculiar excresence on the bill. 



