THE PELICAN 33 



name which means curly-crested, belongs to the south-east, 

 of Europe, especially that part which we know as the 

 Levant. Many a river, many a lake, many a reedy marsh 

 sees this handsome fisherman. It is true that in years 

 gone by he and his tribe were ever so much more numerous 

 than they are to-day. But in many places they abound 

 even yet. " On the blue waters of the Mediterranean," 

 says a friend of mine, "along the rocky borders of its 

 islands, and on the beautiful inland waters of the lakes 

 of Greece, they may be seen in large numbers still, their 

 flashing white wings a gleaniing confusion of light against 

 the purple mountains and the blue skies." 



In an account of a visit paid, a few years ago, to a 

 small Pelican nursery (the number of nests had dropped 

 from thirty-five in 1838 to seven!), another writer, Mr. 

 Simpson, says: "As we approached the spot in a boat, 

 the Pelicans left their nests, and, taking to the water, 

 sailed away like a fleet of stately ships, leaving their 

 newly-built homes in the hands of the invader. The boat 

 grounded in two or three feet of mud, and when the party 

 had floundered through this, the seven nests were dis- 

 covered to be empty. A fisherman had plundered them 

 that mornii^g, taking from each nest one Qgg, all of which 

 we, of course, recovered." 



lUj a recently published book, full of beautiful photo- 

 graphs of bird-life abroad, Mr. R. B. Lodge tells how he 

 went after Pelicans in those wild and romantic lands which 

 we call the Balkans. Though he carried a good gun, the 

 cMef<^Article of his luggage was a camera, and lie was far 

 more anxious to photograph the great white birds than 

 to sheot them. 



The first chance he got was in Albania, and in a very 

 out-of-the-way part of that country. 



