Tlie Biidn oil Bnciia \'inta Lalie. 
55 
on the sui'face. (iradually the Pelicans at the extreme ends 
of the half moon, diew toj,'ether, finally totally surrounding 
theii prey. The fisli, so far as ] eould see, were young white 
fish, of which there were two varieties, closely resembling 
our Roach and Dace. The other fish found on the lake are a 
Perch, similar in shape to ours, Imt grey in colour, aiul a 
Carj), identical with the Euro2)ean variety. There is also a 
small kind of Cattish, so fisii-eatiiig birds are wefl catered 
for. The Pelicans soon loaded themselves up, so that when 
I pushed my boat out they were either unable or unwilling to 
fly, and so retreated by swimming, which they can do at the 
rate of five or six miles per hour. They breed regularly 
on the island in the lake, but before doing so, they migrate 
to the lagoons of Mexico and Central America, where mating 
takes place For a month or six weeks in the spring, not 
one is to be found upon the lake. 1 well remember one spring", 
wlien crossing the mountains to the coast, hearing the well 
known whistling noise, made by the Pelicans' wings when 
soaring, and looking up and seeing the flock returning to 
Buena Vista. They were at an immense height, looking the 
size of Starlings, and as we ourselves were 8,000 feet up, 
they would have a pretty big drop to make to reach the 
lake. It was now lunch-time, so I tied up again in a bunch 
of tules, that gave me a good view of the feeding grounds, and 
made a good meal off "flap-jacks," preserved fruit, and coffee. 
Whilst refreshing the inner man, I saw a small flock of Sandhill 
Cranes {Grus mexicana) alight about one hundred yards from 
the edge of the water. These birds are grey with red- 
heads and are very handsome. They si>end most of their 
timi! upon the open prairie or upon the large grain fields, 
retui'ning to tlie lake at evening. I think that they are very 
largely vegetable feeders. About mid -day there is usually 
very little movement amongst the waterfowl, as most of them, 
seem to take a siesta, especially if the weather is calm, and 
on thii particular day it was o^ipressively close, and I found 
myself unable to resist a short "nap." I was aroused by the 
little dog licking my face, and, on looking to the north, I found 
the horizon as black as ink. It was evident that we were 
in for a heavy storm, and knowing what this meant on the 
water, I hastily pulled out to look for a more sheltered posi- 
