PELICANS AS OBSERVED IN EASTERN EUROPE. 367 



landed at the back of the island, and left alone with the Pelicans. 

 There was no particular difficulty in approaching them slowly 

 and gradually, taking care not to cause them undue alarm at 

 first. I advanced nearer and nearer, taking photographs at each 

 step, until, after some time, they allowed me to come within 

 twelve or fifteen yards. If sometimes they left their nests it was 

 only for a short distance, and they soon returned as they became 

 more confident that I was not dangerous. And a great satis- 

 faction it was to be at last at such close quarters with these 

 birds, which had evaded my pursuit for a good month, and to be 

 able to watch the habits of such a wary and comparatively little- 

 known species. 



The nests were generally in groups of six or eight together, 

 some of them quite small and flat on the ground — mere flat 

 trodden rings of sticks ; but in each group there were generally 

 one or two considerably higher than the rest. These were well 

 and completely made of sticks, and about two feet high — very 

 similar to a Cormorant's nest. Two eggs seemed to be the full 

 clutch ; these were long and white, rough and chalky, but by 

 this date (May 4th) the young had nearly all hatched. How- 

 ever, I obtained nine clutches altogether, and might have taken 

 some more. Some of the young were still in the nests ; a few 

 only a day or two old, others as large as a goose, and many 

 more, nearly as large as their parents, were sitting on the sand, 

 or swimming in the shallow water of the lagoon. The younger 

 ones progressed by crawling, helping themselves along with 

 their wings. Those in down presented a curious appearance. 

 Their colour was a dull dirty white, with leaden-coloured beaks 

 and feet, and small pouches of the same colour. From the 

 young ones proceeded a constant moaning sound, like the lowing 

 of cows or Buffaloes. 



The stomach of a young bird in down which I skinned was 

 enormously distended, and contained a large double-handful of 

 what appeared to be vegetable matter. It was difficult to imagine 

 that it proceeded from a fish diet, but rather resembled the con- 

 tents of the stomach of a goose after grazing in a field. 



I had several opportunities of watching the young Pelicans 

 being fed by their parents. Naumann says that P. onocrotalus 

 feeds its young from the pouch. In the case of P. crispus, at 



