FISHING PELICANS. 339 



attained their full growth. They were pleasant pets enough, 

 unless when pressed by hunger, when they became out- 

 rageous and screamed most violently; when satisfied with 

 food, they slept, roosting on a large trough placed for hold- 

 ing water. But woe to the man or beast attempting to ap- 

 proach them when hungry. It happened once that a gentle- 

 man's servant went to look at ihem while in this state : he 

 wore a pair of red plush breeches that immediately attracted 

 the attention of the birds, which I had been in the habit of 

 feeding with livers and lights ; the consequence was they 

 made such a furious attack that I had to run to his assistance 

 with a stick, and could not beat them off without the great- 

 est difficulty. Their attack on cats, dogs, and poultry, if 

 unprotected, was always fatal. They fought at once with 

 their bills, wings, and claws, screaming frightfully all the 

 time. In fact, the cause of my parting with them was their 

 having destroyed a fine Spanish pointer : he had incautiously 

 strayed into the place where I kept them, and they imme- 

 diately flew at and attacked him in front and rear. His 

 loud howling brought me to his aid, when I was astonished 

 to find they had got him down, and before I could rescue 

 him from their fury, they had greatly injured him in one of 

 his shoulders, so much so that he afterwards died of the 

 wound." 



The Druids believed the appearance of a cormorant during 

 the celebration of their mysteries was an evil omen. Milton 

 describes the arch-fiend, who — 



"On the Tree of Life— 

 Tlie middle tree, the highest there that grew — 

 Sat like a cormorant. 



The Pelican, being furnished with a peculiar organ for 

 storing up its prey, would seem to be still better adapted 

 than the cormorant for being trained to fish. Labat men- 

 tions that the Indians adopt this practice, and dispatch a 



