108 DIVISION I. VERTEBRAL ANIMALS.—CLASS II. AVES, 
ORDER STEGANOPODES. PELICANS, GANNETS, AND 
BOOBIES. 
Tis group is also varied, and widely distributed in both hemispheres. 
Famity Pevicanrip®. Tur Penicans. 
In this family are comprehended the Phaétonine, or Tropic Birds; the 
Plotinw, or Darters; the Pelicans, Gannets, and Cormorants. 
The true Pelicans are large and heavy birds, with a great extent of wing, 
and are excellent swimmers. Their expansive pouch, whose elasticity is 
well known to all who have witnessed the shapes into which it is stretched 
and formed in museums, will hold a considerable number of fish, and thus 
enables the bird to dispose of the superfluous quantity which may be taken 
during fishing expeditions, either for its own consumption, or for the nourish- 
ment of its young. In feeding the nestlings (and the male is said to supply 
the wants of the female in the same manner), the under mandible is pressed 
against the neck and breast to assist the bird in disgorging the contents of 
the capacious pouch. 
The neighborhood of rivers, lakes, and the sea-coasts are the haunts of 
the Pelicans, and they are gregarious to a great extent. Their food con- 
sists entirely of fishes, which they capture with great dexterity, generally in 
shallow inlets. They do not dive, but they often dash, from a great height, 
on the wing, upon a fish, with such velocity that they become submerged, 
though their buoyancy brings them instantly to the surface again. Although 
they perch on trees, they generally seem to prefer rocky shores. The nest, 
commonly formed of coarse, reedy grass, with a lining of grass of a softer 
quality, is large, and made upon the ground. The eggs, which are white, 
are usually two in number. They are found abundantly in both hemi- 
spheres. 
The Cormorants exist abundantly in all parts of the globe. They are 
mostly found on the sea-coast, breeding on rocky ledges, difficult of access, 
and also on trees. They are exceedingly expert in catching fish, being very 
active in the water, and capable of remaining under its surface for a great. 
leneth of time. 
The Gannets, whose habits resemble those of the pelicans, usually fre- 
quent almost inaccessible rocky islands, where they congregate in great 
numbers during the season of reproduction, at other times migrating along 
the coast. Their flight is rapid, powerful, and long-continued. 
The common Gannet is a well-known species in this country. This bird 
