626 THE AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN. 



of lesser wing-coverts and chest pale yellow or 'buff ; a thin, elevated, horny, pro- 

 tuberance on ridge of culmen a little forward of the middle; bill and pouch red- 

 dish; legs and feet bright orange-red. Adult in winter: Similar but without 

 horny protuberance on bill; the occipital crest wanting; yellow coloring of chest 

 and wing-coverts paler; bill and feet not so bright. Immature : Like adult in 

 winter, but feathers of crown and lesser wing-coverts mixed with brownish 

 gray; chest feathers not modified; a fluffy, short, occipital crest; the bill, 

 pouch, legs, and feet pale yellowish. "Length 4j^ to nearly 6 feet ; extent 85^ to 

 nearly 10 feet; weight about 17 pounds" (Ridgway). Wing 22.00 (S58.9) ; tail 

 6.00 (152.4) ; bill 10.50-15.00 (266.7-381.) ; tarsus 4.50 (114.3). 



Recognition Marks. — Immense size with large bill and gular pouch ; white 

 plumage. 



Nesting. — Not known to have bred in Ohio. Nest, on the ground, a mound 

 cf gravel and rubbish with a slight depression on top, on beach or island of 

 large lake. Eggs, 2-4, bluish white or pale buffy, often more or less stained, and 

 with chalky deposit on surface. Av. size, 3.40 x 2.25 (86.4 x 57.2). 



General Range. — Temperate North America, north in the interior to about 

 latitude 61°, south in winter to western Mexico and Guatemala; now rare or ac- 

 cidental in the northeastern states ; abundant in the interior and along the Gulf 

 Coast; common on the coast of California. 



Range in Ohio. — Casual migrant ; seen on Lake Erie and the reservoirs. 



THE appearance of a large white bird "bigger than a goose," anywhere 

 upon our interior waters, is a signal for immediate pursuit by boat and gun. 

 Not infrequently it turns out to be a Pelican, and the guileless creature is 

 promptly mummified and placed where he may regard you gravely from some 

 shop-keeper's window — for the museums are already full. A handsome speci- 

 men was taken on the Licking Reservoir about May 15th, 1902, and preserved 

 in a local club room, but it was lost in a fire the following winter. In the 

 spring of 1903, three were seen upon the same reservoir, but none secured. 



The Pelican lives upon an exclusive diet of fish, and he uses his great 

 gular pouch as a dip-net, or scoop, rather than as a creel for transportation, 

 as was formerly supposed. It sometimes happens, however, that the bird 

 makes a greater catch than he can conveniently handle, or indeed, greater than 

 he has time to swallow during the rush of a successful drive. In either case 

 he retires to shore with a full basket to effect a readjustment, or to discard a 

 clearly proven surplus. 



In flight the Pelicans usually follow a leader in line, and flap or sail or 

 settle in unison at his behest. In the West and South, where they are much 

 more abundant, they are sometimes seen performing aerial evolutions, which 

 are very interesting and impressive to the beholder. 



