62 
THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY 
morning and evening, as at these times the fish approach 
the surface of the water. 
At night, when their labours are over, and they have be- 
come glutted with food, they retire some distance from the 
shore, and remain perched on trees till the next day calls 
for a renewal of their exertions. Here also they repose 
during most part of the day, sitting in a solemn and awk- 
ward posture, looking as if they were half asleep. Their 
attitude is with the head resting upon the pouch, and this 
closely applied to the breast. Thus they spend their life 
between sleeping and eating, never breaking their repose 
till the calls of hunger render it indispensably necessary to 
fill their magazine for a fresh meal. Although their usual 
and favourite food is fish, when this fails them, they satisfy 
their appetite with reptiles and small quadrupeds. 
The female lays from two to four eggs; some species 
breeding on rocks near the water, making large deep nests, 
lined with soft weeds, others constructing them in man- 
grove and other trees overhanging the water. They are 
affectionate parents, although, from their natural timidity, 
they make but little resistance when robbed of their off- 
spring. The young, when excluded from the shell, are fed 
with fish that have been macerated for some time in the 
pouch of the mother. 
These birds are easily tamed, but they are useless and 
disagreeable domestics, as their insatiable gluttony renders 
it difficult to supply them with a sufficiency of food, and 
their flesh is so unsavoury and rank, as never to be eaten 
except from dire necessity; it is probable, however, that 
they might be trained for the purposes of fishing, in the 
same manner as the cormorant; indeed, one writer assures 
us that he saw a Pelican in South America, that was under 
such command, as to go off in the morning and return be- 
fore night, with its pouch distended with prey, part of 
which it was made to disgorge, and the remainder it was 
permitted to retain as a reward. Clavigero, in his History 
of Mexico, also states, that the Indians, in order to procure 
a supply of fish without any trouble, break the wings of a 
live Pelican, and after tying the bird to a tree, conceal 
themselves near the place; the screams of the suffering bird 
attract other Pelicans to the place, who, he says, throw up 
a portion of the provisions from their pouch for their im- 
prisoned companion; as soon as the savages perceive this 
to be done, they rush to the spot, and after leaving a little 
for the bird, carry off the remainder. 
According to Faber, this bird is not destitute of other 
qualifications. One was kept in the collection of the Duke 
of Bavaria above forty years, which seemed to be possessed 
of extraordinary sagacity. It was very fond of being in 
the company of mankind, and appeared extravagantly at- 
tached to musical sounds; if any one played on an instru- 
ment, it would stand perfectly still, turn its ear towards the 
sounds, and with its head stretched out seem to experience 
great pleasure. 
The Pelican attains great longevity: Gesner relates that 
the emperor Maximilian had a tame one that lived above 
eighty years, and always attended his army on their march. 
Aldrovandus also mentions one of these birds, which was 
kept at Mechlin, and was supposed to be fifty years old. 
Pelicans are found in the warm and temperate regions 
of the globe, and are generally to be seen in large flocks ; 
in some places they are exceedingly numerous ; thus, 
travellers assert that the lakes of India and Egypt, and 
the rivers Nile and Stryman, when viewed from the 
mountains, appear white with the vast flocks of these birds 
that continually cover their surface. 
These birds were early observed by mankind, for we 
find them classed among those which were forbidden as 
food to the Israelites as unclean, and are also alluded to in 
the Psalms. It is difficult to determine whether the bird 
spoken of by Aristotle, under the name of Tishexav,* is 
really the Pelican of modern writers or not, though this 
seems to be the opinion of the French Academy. He says, 
that this bird frequents the banks of rivers, and swallows- 
large quantities of shell fish, which, after having macerated 
in a pouch or crop which precedes its stomach, disgorges J 
them to feed on the flesh, the heat having forced them to 
open. Cicero, in his treatise on the nature of the gods, re- ' 
peats this observation of the Greek naturalist, but calls the 
bird Platalea, whilst Pliny gives it the name of Platea. 
Buffon, in admitting that Aristotle had reference to the 
Pelican, also observes, that his description of its habits does 
not agree with those of our bird, being rather applicable to 
the spoonbill. Pliny, however, does not confound them, 
for, after describing the Platea, he gives a very good ac- 
count of the Pelican under the name of Onocratalus , t at 
the same time, it should be noticed that both Cicero and 
Pliny, in speaking of the Platea, differ from Aristotle, in 
saying that the shell fish are received into the stomach of 
the bird, whilst the latter, as we have already stated, ob- 
serves that they are macerated in a pouch which precedes 
the true stomach. 
There is also considerable difficulty in determining the 
species of this genus, some authors multiplying them to a 
great extent, whilst others restrict them to two or three. 
Thus Cuvier says there is no difference between the com- 
mon Pelican, (P. onocratalus ,) and the P. roseus, of 
which Sonnerat states, that the manillensis is the young. 
This has arisen in a great measure from the variations pro- 
duced by age not having been sufficiently observed. It 
may also arise from individuals of the same species, living 
* Book ix, chap. 10. f Book x. chap. 66, 
