THE PELICAN IN HERALDRY 



both bone and beak. This very odd state of affairs 

 is unparalleled in any other living bird. There are 

 certainly half a dozen species of pelican, perhaps more ; 

 they are white, black and white, or even as in Pelecanus 

 fuscus, dark brown in colour, and occur in most parts 

 of the world. The " pelican in its piety " is a well 

 known heraldic device ; it forms for instance the arms 

 of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Under these cir- 

 cumstances the pelican is represented as drawing blood 

 from its own breast to feed its young. As a matter 

 of fact the legend may rest upon the yellow to reddish 

 tinge of the neck developed at the breeding season, 

 which faintly suggests a stain of blood. This, coupled 

 with the habit which all birds have of pecking at and 

 fidgeting with their feathers, just as human beings 

 bite their nails, may be responsible for that legend. 

 There are no pelicans in England, though specimens 

 escaped from captivity have been noted at times. But 

 there once were pelicans ; for subfossil bones have been 

 found in the fens of Cambridgeshire. 



THE DARTER 



Of darters there are four kinds, viz. Plotus anhinga 

 of South America, P. nova-hollandice of Australia and 

 adjacent islands, P. lev.iillanti of Africa, and finally P. 

 melanogaster of India, China and Madagascar. The 

 bird any of these species that happens to be on view 

 at the Gardens will strike the visitor as a somewhat 

 exaggerated cormorant. Its neck is longer, its head 

 is smaller, but its plumage is distinctly cormorant- 

 like, as is the general aspect and behaviour of the 

 bird. It would seem to have even a more than cor- 

 morant-like appetite, for a specimen that died in 

 the Gardens some few years since was killed by swallow- 

 ing in rapid succession a dozen small fishes. It is note- 



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