PELICAN ISLAND 105 



or does its white head contain the wisdom its owner's out- 

 ward experience so strongly suggests. In short, where in 

 the psychological scale, shall we place this bird of imposing 

 presence! 



1 have made no experiments designed to determine the 

 mental status of the Brown Pelican on which, however, my 

 observations may throw some light. 



During that three months 

 of the year when the wants 

 of its offspring make the 

 heaviest demands upon the 

 adult, the Pelican's daily 

 activities apparently follow 

 a regular routine. At the 

 first hint of dawn certain 

 birds, whether always the 

 same or of the same sex it 

 would be difficult to deter- 

 mine, leave the island for 

 distant fishing grounds, fly- 

 ing diagonally northeast or 

 southeast over a regularly 

 traveled air line to the sea 

 and then following the coast 

 line north or south as the 

 case may be. With a favor- 

 aide wind they travel high 

 before it, with a head wind 



, , , • i 11 " For distant fishing grounds " 



they skim low over the 



waves usually just outside the breakers. 



When several birds happen to leave together over the 

 same route the characteristic diagonal, single-file flock is 

 soon formed and the birds progress by alternately flapping 

 and sailing in unison, the first flap after the sail being 

 usually given by the leader, not necessarily because he is 

 the leader but because being in advance he doubtless 



