270 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Description* 



CHAP. IX. 



" Others there are voracious bold 

 With pouches curious to behold 

 Than which, no greater foes can be 

 To all the natives of the sea." 



ANON. 



THE PELICAN. 



THESE birds are gregarious, and in general 

 notorious for their extreme voracity. The 

 white pelican (which is the most remarkable of 

 the tribe) when full grown, is much larger in the 

 body than a swan. The bill is about sixteen 

 inches long, and the skin, between the sides of 

 the mandible is very flaccid and dilatable, ex- 

 tending to eight or nine inches down the neck ; 

 this is bare of feathers, and is capable of con- 

 taining many quarts of water. The tongue is so 

 small as to be scarcely distinguishable. The 

 sides of the head are naked; and on the back of 

 the head is a kind of crest. The whole plumage 

 is whitish, suffused with a pale blush-colour ; ex- 





