PELICANS. 



285 



beak, which is of great length, much flattened, and marked by a number of 

 furrows. To the lower mandible is affixed a large dilatable pouch of great 

 capacity; so that the whole beak may be compared to a bag-net, to which the 

 upper mandible acts as a lid. The extremity of the latter ends in a slightly hooked 

 knob, of which the horny covering is from time to time shed. The body is very 



EUROPEAN PELICAN. 



massive, the neck long and comparatively slender, the head small, and the legs are 

 short with very elongated toes. The wings, in which the third quill is the longest, 

 are large and broad ; and the tail, which contains from eighteen to twenty-four 

 feathers, is short, broad, and rounded. Although thick, the general plumage is 

 remarkable for its harshness and roughness, the feathers of the breast ending in 

 narrow points ; while on the back of the head there is generally a helmet-like crest. 

 The adults of the two sexes are nearly similar in coloration, but the young are 



