LONG-WINGED SWIMMERS 65 



These birds summer at Great Salt Lake, Utah, and 

 on several of the large inland lakes of Oregon. I noted 

 a colony of approximately seventy-five birds at Sweet- 

 water Lake, North Dakota. These are probably the only 

 colonies which remain in the United States proper. Shoal 

 Lake, INIanitoba, is one of their favorite nesting and breed- 

 ing grounds. 



The flight of the pelican is picturesque. Being hea\'y 

 birds, they rise from the water with difficulty, using their 

 feet in ascending. A flock of perhaps twenty-five birds 

 will mount into the air during the heat of the day and 

 circle about until they appear like mere specks against 

 the sky. 



The plumage of the adult birds is pure white with the 

 exception of a portion of the wing which is black, which 

 color shows in marked contrast when the birds are soaring. 



Two or three eggs are deposited in a large, bulky nest 

 of grass, sticks, and rubbish. The thick, white shells have 

 a chalky texture, but are soon stained with nesting material. 



