212 BROWN PELICAN. 



twelve broadly rounded feathers, rather long, slightly rounded, the 

 lateral feathers being two-twelfths shorter than the middle. 



Bill and feet black. The general colour of the plunaage is glossy 

 bluish-black, on the head velvet-black ; the smaller wing-coverts scar- 

 let, at the base white. 



Length to end of tail 9 inches, bill along the ridge j^'^ ; wing from 

 flexure b^^ ; tail 4x'^ ; tarsus I/2 ; hind toe ||, its claw xV ; second toe 

 T?2, its claw % ; third toe \l, its claw /g ; fourth toe ||, its claw /j. 



Female. Plate CCCCXX. Fig. 2. 



The Female, which is much smaller, has the bill and feet greyish- 

 black ; the upper parts are dark brown, the feathers edged with light 

 brown ; the smaller wing-coverts edged with dull scarlet, the first row 

 with whitish ; the larger coverts, the quills and tail-feathers blackish- 

 brown, edged with yellowish-brown ; the lower parts are dull brown, 

 but the throat, and a broad streak over the eye are dull orange. 



BROWN PELICAN. 



Pelecanus fuscus, Linn. 



PLATE CCCCXXI. Young. 



Since I wrote my account of the habits of this very interesting 

 bird, I have followed it westward as far as the inland bays of the 

 Texas, where I found it almost as abundant as on the coast of the 

 Floridas. In the former country however, I observed it breeding on 

 the ground, and on the small naked islets of the large bays margining 

 the Mexican Gulf, The nests were formed much in the same manner 

 as when placed on trees, and the eggs were of the same number as 

 stated. Here however, I discovered an error which I had com- 

 mitted in stating that there is a difference between the males and 

 females when in a state of maturity, for, having examined several spe- 

 cimens procured on the nest, in the act of incubation, I found that the 

 plumage of the fully adult female is precisely like that of the male ; 



