PELICAN. 207 



become so familiar that they suffered themselves to be 

 handled ; and the young ones very kindly accepted what- 

 ever fish he offered them. These they always put in their 

 bag, and then swallowed at their leisure. 



It seems, however, that they are but disagreeable and 

 useless domestics ; their gluttony can scarcely be satisfied, 

 their flesh smells very rancid, and tastes a thousand times 

 worse than it smells. The natives kill vast numbers ; not 

 to eat, for they are not fit even for the banquet of a savage ; 

 but to convert their large bags into purses and tobacco 

 pouches. They bestow no small pains in dressing the 

 skin with salt and ashes, rubbing it well with oil, and then 

 forming it to their purpose. It thus becomes so soft and 

 pliant that the Spanish women sometimes adorn it with 

 gold and embroidery to make work-bags of. 



Yet with all the seeming hebetude of this bird, it is not 

 entirely incapable of instruction in a domestic state. 

 Father Raymond assures us that he has seen one so tame 

 and well educated, that it would go off in the morning at 

 the word of command, and return before night to its mas- 

 ter, with its great pouch distended with plunder ; a part 

 of which the savages would make it disgorge, and a part 

 they would permit it to reserve for itself. 



" The Pelican," as Faber relates, " is not destitute of 

 other qualifications. One of those which was brought 

 alive to the Duke of Bavaria's court, where it lived forly 

 years, seemed to be possessed of very uncommon sensa- 

 tions. It was much delighted in the company and con- 

 versation of men, and in music, both vocal and instrumen- 

 tal : for it would willingly stand," says he, " by those that 

 sung or sounded the trumpet ; and stretching out its head, 

 and turning its ear to the music, listened very attentively 

 to its harmony ; though its own voice was little pleasariter 

 than the braying of an ass." Gesner tells us that the 

 Emperor Maximilian had a tame Pelican, which lived for 

 above eighty years, and that always attended his army 



