24 AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN. 



a "select party" for the purpose. Having heard some of the sailors say 

 that large flocks of White Pelicans had been seen on the inner islets of 

 Barataria Bay, within the island called Grande Terre, we had a boat manned, 

 and my friend Edward Harris, my son, and myself, went off in search of 

 them. After awhile we saw large flocks of these birds on some grounded 

 logs, but found that it was no easy matter to get near them, on account of the 

 shallowness of the bay, the water being scarcely two feet in depth for 

 upwards of half a mile about us. Quietly, and with all possible care, we 

 geared a flock; and strange it was for me to be once more within shooting 

 distance of White Pelicans. It would no doubt be a very interesting sight 

 to you, were you to mark the gravity and sedateness of some hundreds of 

 these Pelicans, closely huddled together on a heap of stranded logs, or a 

 small bank of racoon oj^sters. They were lying on their breasts, but as we 

 neared them they all arose deliberately to their full height. Some, gently 

 sliding from the logs, swam off towards the nearest flock, as unapprehensive 

 of danger as if they had been a mile distant. But now their bright eyes 

 were distinctly visible to us, our guns, charged with buckshot, were in readi- 

 ness, and my son was lying in the bow of the boat waiting for the signal. 

 "Fire!" — The report is instantly heard, the affrighted birds spread their 

 wings and hurry away, leaving behind three of their companions floating on 

 the water. Another shot from a different gun brought down a fourth from 

 on wing; and as a few were scampering off wounded, we gave chase, and 

 soon placed all our prizes in the after sheets. About a quarter of a mile 

 farther on, we killed two, and pursued several that were severely wounded 

 in the wing, but they escaped, for they swam off so rapidly that we could 

 not propel our boat with sufficient speed to catch them amidst the tortuous 

 shallows. The Pelicans appeared tame, if not almost stupid; and at one 

 place, where there were about sixty on an immense log, could we have gone 

 twenty yards nearer, we might have killed eight or ten at a single discharge. 

 But we had already a full cargo, and therefore returned to the vessel, on the 

 decks of which the wounded birds were allowed to roam at large. We found 

 these Pelicans hard to kill, and some which were perforated with buckshot 

 did not expire until eight or ten minutes after they were fired at. A won- 

 derful instance of this tenacity of life was to be seen on board a schooner then 

 at anchor in the harbour. A Pelican had been grazed on the hind part of the 

 head with an ounce ball from a musket, and yet five days afterwards it was 

 apparently convalescent, and had become quite gentle. When wounded, they 

 swim rather sluggishly, and do not attempt to dive, or even to bite, like the 

 Brown Pelicans, although they are twice as large, and proportionally stronger. 

 After being shot at, they are perfectly silent, but when alighted they utter a 



