Gull Habits 21 



scavenger; three of them are equal to a buzzard, and ten 

 equal to a pig. 



In another way the gull shows his quickness to take 

 advantage of opportunity. In southern California, where 

 the gulls and pelicans feed together in the bays, the gull 

 is a parasite, living on the labor of the pelican. Although 

 heavy and clumsy in shape, the pelican is as expert as the 

 kingfisher at diving. From a height of thirty or forty 

 feet, he drops like a plummet into a school of small fish 

 and rises to the surface with pouch filled with fish and 

 water. As the diver stretches his neck and draws his bill 

 straight up, the water runs out and the fish are left. The 

 head is thrown back, and the whole catch is swallowed at 

 one gulp. But the pelican does not fish for himself alone, 

 for he is always followed by one or more thieving gulls. 



One day, while standing on a wharf, I saw a brown 

 pelican flapping along with a pair of gulls a few feet 

 behind. A moment later the big bird spied a fish, for with 

 a back stroke of his wing he turned to dive. He gath- 

 ered speed as he went, and with wings partly closed and 

 rigid he hit the water with a resounding splash. The 

 lower mandible of his bill contracted and opened his pouch 

 that held as much water as the weight of his body. He 

 came to the surface and was in a helpless condition till the 

 water ran out, and at this moment he was pounced upon 

 by the swift-moving gulls, who snatched the fish and were 

 away before the slow pelican could retaliate. 



At another time I saw a band of a dozen pelicans fol- 

 lowing a school of fish. They rose from the surface, 

 swung around till about twenty feet above, and two or 

 three of them dropped into the water at a time. A bevy 



