THE-C9HL9R 



Volume IX March-April 1907 N 



vimiaer 



AMONG THE PElvICANS 

 BY WILLIAM L. FINLRY 



WITH PHOTOGRAPHS BY HERMAN T. BOHLMAN 



TWO species of pelicans are found on the Pacific Coast, the white {.Pehcaiuis 

 cryihrorhynchos), and the Brown {Pclccanus calif orninis) . The brown 

 pelican is one of the commonest fishers on the southern California sea- 

 coast, while the white pelican is a bird of the interior. On the Coronado Islands 

 the brown pelican nests abundantly and from this place the birds fi}' for miles up 

 and down the coast to their fishing grounds. 



Altho heavy and clumsy in shape, the pelican is as expert as the kingfisher at 

 diving. From a height of thirty or forty feet, he drops like a plummet into a 

 school of small fish and rises to the surface with pouch filled with fish and water. 

 As the diver stretches his neck and draws his bill straight up, the water runs out 

 and the fish are left. The head is thrown back and the whole catch is swallowed 

 at one gulp. But the pelican does not fish for himself alone, for he is generally 

 followed by one or more thieving gulls. 



One day while standing on the wharf at Santa Monica, I saw a brown pelican 

 flapping along with a pair of gulls a few feet behind. A moment later the big bird 

 spied a fish, for with a back stroke of his wing, he turned to dive. He gathered 

 speed as he went and with wings partly closed and rigid, he hit the water with a 

 resounding splash. The lower mandible of his bill contracted and opened his 

 pouch that held about as much water as the weight of his body. He came to the 

 surface and was in a helpless condition till the water ran out, and at this moment 

 he was pounced upon by the swift-moving gulls who snatched the fish and were 

 away before the slow pelican could retaliate. 



At another time I saw a band of a dozen pelicans hovering over a school of 

 fish. The birds rose from the surface, swung around till about twenty feet above, 

 and two or three of them dropped into the water at a time. A ljc\-y of twent}^' 

 gulls were fluttering around to pounce on ever.\' pelican that dove. The instant 



