362 HISTORY OF 



pelican was once also known in Europe, parti- 

 cularly in Russia ; but it seems to have deserted 

 our coasts. This is the bird of which so many 

 fabulous accounts have been propagated ; such as 

 its feeding its young with its own blood, and its 

 carrying a provision of water for them in its great 

 reservoir in the desert. But the absurdity of the 

 first account answers itself; and as for the latter, 

 the pelican uses its bag for very different purposes 

 than that of filling it with water. 



Its amazing pouch may be considered as analo- 

 gous to the crop in other birds, with this difference, 

 that as theirs lies at the bottom of the gullet, so 

 this is placed at the top. Thus, as pigeons and 

 other birds macerate their food for their young in 

 their crops, and then supply them, so the pelican 

 supplies its young by a more ready contrivance, 

 and macerates their food in it's bill, or stores it for 

 its own particular sustenance. 



The ancients were particularly fond of giving 

 this bird admirable qualities and parental affec- 

 tions. Struck, perhaps, with its extraordinary 

 figure, they were willing to supply it with as ex- 

 traordinary appetites ; and having found it with 

 a large reservoir, they were pleased with turning 

 it to trie most tender and parental uses. But the 

 truth is, the pelican is a very heavy, sluggish, 

 voracious bird, and very ill fitted to take those 

 flights, or to make those cautious provisions for a 

 distant time, which we have been told it does. 

 Father Labat, who seems to have studied their 

 manners with great exactness, has given us a 



