128 VARIETY OF SPECIES. 
Pelican is a ruminating bird. It ranges long 
and widely in its pursuit of its prey, and then 
returns to a rock, or to a tree, where, if it has 
no young to feed, or no kindred bird to help, 
it sits solitary and heavily, while eating and 
digesting its food. We see, in this manner, 
that it is easy to represent the Pelican under 
opposite characters, each equally true, and 
equally occasional; and we see, also, how 
dangerous it usually is to take up general 
notions from particular circumstances. The 
same bird or man, of whom, at one moment, 
it may consist with truth to say one thing, 
is, at another moment, or under other cir- 
cumstances, entitled to quite another reputa- 
tion. Suppose, for example, that our friend 
George is sometimes sleepy ; does it therefore 
follow that we should say that George is a 
sleepy fellow; that is, that he is always 
asleep ? 
There are other species of the Pelican 
than this, particularly the Red-backed, the 
Booby, and that which is otherwise called 
the Gannet, or Solan, or Island Goose ;* but 
* Pelicanus Bassanus. Linn. — Fou de Bassan. 
Burron. 
