322 
POPULAR HISTOllY OF BIRDS. 
from the breast. Suddenly^ a little ruffling of the water 
arrests their attention ; and,, with wings half-closed, down 
each plunges with a resounding plash, and in an instant 
emerges to the surface with a fish. The beak is held aloft, 
a snap or two is made, the huge pouch is seen for a mo- 
ment distended, then collapses as before ; and heavily the 
bird rises to wing, and again beats over the surf with his 
fellows. It is worthy of observation that the peHcan invari- 
ably performs a summerset under the surface ; for descend- 
ing, as he always does, diagonally, not perpendicularly, the 
head emerges looking in the opposite direction to that in 
which it was looking before. When the morning appetite 
is sated, they sit calmly on the heaving surface, looking 
much like a miniature fleet.'''' Towards evening the peli- 
cans, flying in continuous strings, retire to trees near the 
sea. The Negroes of Jamaica sometimes eat the flesh of 
this species, notwithstanding its fishy odour. To remove 
this flavour in some measure, they bury the bird for some 
hours in the sand, and then subject it to more than one 
boiling before they eat it. 
The Cormorants {Phalacrocorax) have a long beak and 
hooked upper mandible ; the pouch is very small. There 
are several species, all of which are of a dark colour, and 
