The California Brown Pelican 



Gifford, who gives 

 us an interesting ac- 

 count 1 of their habits 

 in the Galapagos Islands, 

 says: "It was not un- 

 usual to see several Nod- 

 dies fluttering excitedly 

 about a pelican when 

 it was fishing, and often 

 sitting on its head while 

 it swallowed the fish. 

 Once I saw two on a 

 pelican's head at one 

 time. The pelicans never 

 seemed to be annoyed, 

 nor did the Noddies ever 

 get any fish as far as 

 I could see. Dusky 

 Shearwaters would oc- 

 casionally fly about a 

 pelican, apparently to 

 pester it, for one day 

 I observed a pelican take 

 refuge on top of a cliff 

 from a number of them." 



According to the 

 same authority, these 

 pelicans do not confine 

 themselves to a fish diet. 

 "On several occasions 

 they were observed to 

 pick up the bodies of 

 large birds, after we had 

 skinned them and thrown them overboard. In one case an immature 

 pelican had got the bodies of two Galapagos Hawks into its pouch, 

 and was unable to swallow them. Likewise it was unable to fly on account 

 of the weight. It was probably grateful when we rowed up to it where 

 it was sitting on the water, and removed the impedimenta, for it flew away 

 joyfully enough afterward." 



And the following bit from a quaint old account, attributed to Father 

 Torquemada, 2 assures us that the Pelicano has ever been a useful bird. 



1 Proc. Calif. Acad. Sciences, 4th Series. Vol. II., pt. I., pp. 107-110. 



3 As published in "The Habitable World Described," 1788-1795. and excerpted by Frank S. Daggett, The 

 Condor, Vol. X., July, 1908, p. 136. m-~ -> 



J y/J 



Taken on Anacapa Island 



THE ANTEDELUVIANS 



Photo by D. R. Dickey 



