PELICAN ISLAND 213 
sticks, shells, and weeds; then dropping the point of 
his bill downward so that the mud and water ooze 
out, he carefully examines the remainder, piece by 
piece, as if to see whether it is palatable. Even 
when alone he sometimes loses his temper. I saw 
one evidently much annoyed by the appearance of a 
displaced feather in his wing, and in a vain effort to 
catch it he whirled about like a kitten chasing its 
own tail. 
But the fast-growing wing plumes soon seem to 
be a source of inspiration, rather than of annoyance. 
The young Pelicans feel a new and strange power 
coming to them, and they stand in the nest and aim- 
lessly wave their now nearly grown wings, until 
some day an impulse prompts them to spring into 
the air..? The immediate result is a humilating 
tumble, for Pelicans, unlike smaller birds, must 
learn to fly. Once on the ground he has a safer 
place to practice, and with a hop, skip, and a flap, 
he makes brave efforts to mount skyward. Finally 
he succeeds, and the awkward nestling becomes a 
creature of power and grace, sailing away on broad 
pinions to join its elders. 
With this wonderful gift of flight comes a com- 
plete change in the Pelican’s character and behavior. 
From a noisy, quarrelsome fledgeling, whose days 
were passed in screaming and squabbling, he is 
transformed into a dignified, patriarchal-like bird 
so absolutely voiceless that I have never heard a 
wild Pelican utter a sound, nor do I know of any 
one who has; while in disposition he has become go 
peaceful that under the strongest provocation he 
shows no desire to protest. 
