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The Living Animals of the World 



THE PELICAN TRIBE. 



The members of the Pelican 

 Tribe may be readily distinguished 

 from other living birds by the 

 fact that all their toes are united 

 in a common fold of skin or web. 

 In the Ducks and other web-footed 

 birds only the front toes are so 

 united. 



The Pelican Tribe embraces 

 several apparently dissimilar forms, 

 whose only claim to be grouped 

 together, judged from a superficial 

 point of view, lies in the fact that 

 they possess the peculiar type of 

 foot above mentioned. With the 

 general appearance of the Pelican 

 itself probably every one is familiar, 

 but we had better mention here 

 that the other representatives of 

 the group with which we have 

 now to deal are the Cormorants 

 and Grannets, common on the 

 British coasts, and the less-known 

 Darters, Frigate-birds, and Tropic- 

 birds; these, as we know from 

 their anatomy, are all closely allied forms, and with the Pelicans make up a somewhat isolated 

 group whose nearest allies appear to be the members of the Stork Tribe. 



The PELICAN figures largely in ecclesiastical heraldry as the type of maternal tenderness. 

 Tradition has it that the bird, in admonishing its young, occasionally did so with such 

 violence as to slay them. Remorse immediately following, the distracted parent drew blood 

 from its own breast, and therewith sprinkled the victims of its wrath, which thereupon became 

 restored to life again. The exhaustion following on this loss of blood was so great that the 

 young had perforce to leave the nest to procure food for themselves and the sinking parent. 

 If any, through lack of filial affection, refused to aid in this good work, the mother, on 

 recovering strength, drove them from her presence, but the faithful children she permitted to 

 follow her wherever she went. 



One of the most remarkable features of the pelican is the pouch which hangs suspended 

 from the under side of the beak. This is capable of great distension, and is used, when fishing, 

 as a sort of bag-net, of which the upper jaw serves as the lid. The young are fed by the 

 female, which, pressing her well-filled pouch against her breast, opens her mouth and allows 

 them to take their fill therefrom. 



Pelicans display great sagacity when fishing, a flock often combining to form a horse- 

 shoe, and, driving the fish into a mass, take their fill. This method, of course, is only possible 

 when fishing in the estuaries of rivers or lakes, where the fish can be " rounded up," so to 

 speak. Clumsy as the pelican looks, it is yet capable of wonderful powers of flight ; indeed, 

 it shares the honour with the vultures, storks, and adjutants as an expert in the peculiar 

 form of flight known as " soaring." 



A North American species of pelican is remarkable in that during the breeding-season 

 the beak is ornamented with a peculiar horny excrescence, which is shed as soon as that 

 period is over. 



Photo by the Duchess of Bedford] [ Woburn Abbey. 



CRESTED PELICAN. 



This bird derives its name from the curiously curled feathers on the top of the head and 

 nape of the neck. 



