30 BIRDS OF THE WORLD 



ground. The nest consists of a few twigs and branches 

 of the mangrove loosely woven together, and is rather 

 an insecure affair. When hatched, the young are 

 naked, and purplish-black in colour, with eyes tightly 

 closed. ' They gradually become covered with a soft 

 white down, which is succeeded by soft greyish feath- 

 ers, and the adult plumage is not attained until the 

 bird is several years old. At maturity, the top of the 

 head is white, with a yellowish tinge, the neck seal- 

 brown and having much the character of a piece of old 

 sealskin. The pouch is purplish-black, and the gen- 

 eral colour of the bird is a mixture of grey, white and 

 brown. The general effect, however, is far from 

 brown, but is rather a purplish-grey. 



When at rest, the head of the bird is bent down, 

 with the bill pressed closely against the breast. This 

 attitude seems to be simply a matter of balance, as the 

 legs of the Brown Pelican are so far back on the body 

 that when the bill is stretched forward horizontally it 

 overbalances the bird. 



These Pelicans are not at all shy, and may be ap- 

 proached closely while on their nests, although at such 

 times they strike at the intruder with their bill. Be- 

 fore the young are able to fly, they jump down from 

 their nests and congregate in large numbers on the 

 shore. When alarmed, they take to the water. 



It is interesting to see the old birds coming home 

 to their young after a day's fishing. On approaching 

 the nest, the young ones awake from the seeming 

 lethargy in which they have been during the day, and 

 stretching their necks upward, thrust their heads into 

 the pouches of the parents, which are opened widely 



