THE OAR-FOOTED SEA-FLIERS. 235 



quarrel together for the fish one has taken, or one pursues the other for the fish in its mouth. At 

 such times the interest of the spectators on the bridge increases to noisy shouting. The bird is pro- 

 vided with a sort of pouch or large throat, in which the small fish are entirely concealed, while the 

 head or tail of the larger fish protrudes from its mouth. It is only at or near full tide that these birds 

 are successful in catching fish under and near the bridges, as then the water is deep and comparatively 

 still, and the fish seem to abound in the vicinity more than at low-tide. At such times there are fre- 

 quently several rafts with Cormorants fishing near the bridges. The skill of the fisherman in propelling 

 his craft, and the success of the bird in catching the fish are attested by the delighted curiosity and 

 animated interest of the spectators.'' 



The PELICANS (PeZecani), the largest and most striking members of this order, are at once 

 recognisable by their enormous beak, furnished underneath with a capacious bag, and strongly hooked 

 at its extremity. The upper mandible, which is remarkably depressed from its origin to its apex, is 

 moderately broad, and rounded at the point j the oilmen forms a conspicuous keel, running along the 

 entire length of the upper jaw, and at its termination bends down to form the strong claw-like hook at 

 the extremity. The lower mandible is exceedingly weak and slender, consisting of two long lateral 

 branches, only joined to each other towards the apex, and enclosing between them a very capacious 

 bag, formed by a dilatable expansion of the throat. In comparison with the above most characteristic 

 features, the rest of the structure of the bird is to the ornithologist of secondary importance ; it is, how- 

 ever, very peculiar. The body is large and cylindrical, the neck long and slender ; the feet are small, 

 toes long, and connected by a broad web. In the large broad wing, the third quill exceeds the rest 

 in length ; the tail, which is short, broad, and rounded, consists of twenty or twenty-four feathers. The 

 plumage is thick, but remarkably hard and stiff ; besides the almost naked sac beneath the throat, there 

 is a considerable space around the eye completely denuded of feathers. The two sexes resemble each 

 other very closely, but considerable differences serve to distinguish the old birds from the young. 



Pelicans inhabit the torrid regions of the earth, but are also found to a considerable distance 

 within the limits of the temperate zone. In their habits and mode of life, the different groups 

 nearly resemble each other, and we shall therefore confine ourselves to a description of two species 

 met with in Europe. 



None but those who have travelled in Egypt and North Africa can form any idea of the vast 

 numbers of fish-eating birds that there crowd the shores of every lake and river. Upon all the 

 Egyptian lakes along the course of the Nile, during the period of its inundation, and still further to 

 the south, along the banks of the Blue and White Nile, as well as on the shores of the Red Sea, 

 Pelicans occur in such immense flocks that the eye is unable even to estimate their extent. Over 

 a considerable surface of country they literally cover the quarter, or the half, of every square mile. 

 When they are swimming out upon the lakes, they look like immense beds Of water-lilies. When they 

 come out of the water to sit upon the shore, more especially if it be upon one of the islands, and sit 

 in the sunshine preening their feathers, they look at a distance like a vast white wall, and when they 

 retire to sleep, all the trees upon the island are so thickly covered with them that they have the 

 appearance of blossoms without a single green leaf. To meet a small flock of about ten or a dozen 

 is an unusual occurrence, but to see hundreds or thousands together is a very ordinary spectacle. As 

 the spring approaches, these enormous hosts are ill some measure broken up. Many which during 

 the winter season congregated together make their way to Southern Europe, where they breed, but 

 numbers of them are left behind. In selecting the place of their sojourn, these birds seem to make 

 no difference between salt water and fresh ; they frequent both in almost equal numbers, but the depth 

 of the water is to them a matter of considerable importance. 



