PELECANIDiE— THE PELICANS. 195 



Family PELECANID-S:.— The Pelicans. 



Charactebs. Bill greatly elongated and excessively depressed, the terminal unguis 

 very prominent and strongly hooked; gular pouch exceedingly large and greatly. distensi- 

 ble; lores and orbital region— sometimes other parts of the head also— naked. Toes fully 

 webbed, the outer almost as long as the middle, the inner much shorter. Tail verf short, 

 nearly even, or slightly rounded. Size usually very large. 



The Pelicans include about ten species, which are found mostly 

 in the warmer parts of the world, although two of them — the 

 common American P. erythrorhynclios and the Paliearctic P. cris^ 

 ^7W5— extend in summer to high northern latitudes. As may be 

 seen from the sj'uonymy of the genus Pelecanus, these birds have 

 been divided into several genera by authors; but each species 

 possesses so many peculiarities of external structure that it is 

 doubtful whether the differences bet\yeen the supposed genera are 

 of more than subgeneric importai^ee. 



Genus PELECANUS LiNNiEus. 



Pe?ccan«.<! LiS'N. S. N. ed. Vi. i. 1758. 132; ed 12.1,1766.215. Type. P. onocr^otdlus Lnm. 

 Onocroialus Bbiss. Orn. vi, 1760, 519. Type, Pflecanua onocrolaluK LiNN. 

 Cyrtopelicanus Reich. Syst. Av. 1853. p. vii. Type. Pelfcanus erythrorhvn.cihoa GM£Ii. 

 LeptopfUcanus Reich. I. c. Type, Pelecanus fascus Linn. 

 Catoptropelioanus Reich. I. c. Type, Pelecanus conspic Hiatus Temm. 



The characters of this genus being the same as those given 

 above for the Family Pelecanidm, it is unnecessary to repeat them 

 here. It is possible, however, that the genus as here used in a 

 comprehensive sense should be subdivided, as indicated by the 

 above synonymy. 



The species which occur in Illinois may be thus distinguished: 



A. Lower jaw densely feathered to the base of the mandible. Tail-feathers 21. (Subgenus 

 Cv'opphcanux.) 

 1. p. erythrorhvnohos. Color white, the primaries blacki-h. Bill and feet yellowish, 

 deepening cored in the breeding-season- Wing, 22.ou-2j.U5 Inches: oolmen. 11.3f- 

 13.C5. 



