PELICAN ISLAND 213 



sticks, shells, and weeds ; then dropping the point of 

 his bill downward so that the mud and water ooze 

 out, he carefully examines the remainder, piece by 

 piece, as if to see whether it is palatable. Even 

 when alone he sometimes loses his temper. I saw 

 one evidently much annoyed by the appearance of a 

 displaced feather in his wing, and in a vain effort to 

 catch it he whirled about like a kitten chasing its 

 own tail. 



But the fast-growing wing plumes soon seem to 

 be a source of inspiration, rather than of annoyance. 

 The young Pelicans feel a new and strange power 

 coming to them, and they stand in the nest and aim- 

 lessly wave their now nearly grown wings, until 

 some day an impulse prompts them to spring into 

 the air. 110 The immediate result is a humiliating 

 tumble, for Pelicans, unlike smaller birds, must 

 learn to fly. Once on the ground he has a safer 

 place to practice, and with a hop, skip, and a flap, 

 he makes brave efforts to mount skyward. Finally 

 he succeeds, and the awkward nestling becomes a 

 creature of power and grace, sailing away on broad 

 pinions to join its elders. 



With this wonderful gift of flight comes a com- 

 plete change in the Pelican's character and behavior. 

 From a noisy, quarrelsome fledgeling, whose days 

 were passed in screaming and squabbling, he is 

 transformed into a dignified, patriarchal-like bird 

 so absolutely voiceless that I have never heard a 

 wild Pelican utter a sound, nor do I know of any 

 one who has ; while in disposition he has become so 

 peaceful that under the strongest provocation he 

 shows no desire to protest. 



