( 92 ) 
^he Pelican. 
T H is Bird; fedmed to me to be more than double the Blgnefs of the largefl Swan ; it mea- 
fured from the Point of the Bill to the Angle of the Mouth 20 Inches, of our EngUJh Mea- 
^ fure, which is fix Inches more than any Natural Hiftorian has found it; the Academy of Parts 
> having meafured one which was but 14 Inches, Paris Meafure I fuppofej and our Countryman, 
* IVilloughhy^ meafured one brought from Ruffia, which he makes 14 Inches EngUJh fo that I be« 
: lieve this Bird of mine muft be proportionally bigger in all its Parts than what have been before 
de-nibed. I thought it fomething incredible mPFilloughbfs Defcription, that a Man Hiould put 
. his Head into the Pouch under the Bill, till I faw it performed in this Bird by its Keeper, and am 
. fure a fecond Man’s Head might have been pat in with it at the fame Time. 
The upper Mandible is ftraight and flat, having a Ridge running along. its Middle, and at the 
’ Point a remarkable Hook ; the Skin round the Eye is bare of Feathers, of a light Flefh-colour, as 
is the Bill’s both upper and lower Mandibles, except the upper toward the Point, which is of a yel- 
low Green, with fome Dafhes of a dusky Lead-colour 5 the Noftrils are not perceivable ; the Eyes 
are of a dark Hazel-colour ; the lower Part of the Bill iscompofed of two flexible Sides, which it 
can open pretty wide^ or draw them together at Pleafure, joined together at the Point 5 thefe 
Sides are Joined the whole length by a loofe Skin of the Confiflence of thin Tripe, of a Yellowifh 
Colour, which it can either draw up clofe to the Bill, or let fall to a confiderable Depth from it 5 
this Skin extends itfelf under the Throat ; it hath rather the Appearance of the Root of a Tongue 
-than what may be called a Tongue •, when it extends its Neck it appears longer in Proportion than 
reprefented in the Figure, and fometimes it is drawn in fhortert At firfl: Sight it feems to be a 
wiiite Bird ; it hath loofe Feathers on the hind Part of the Head in Form of a Creft i the whole 
'.Head, Neck, all the under Side, and covert Feathers within Side of the Wings, are White % 
the Quills, or prime Feathers of the Wings, are Black ; the firfl; Row of covert Feathers next 
above them of a greyifli Brown j the Remainder of a lighter Greyifh Colour, intermixed with 
-White ; the Back and Tail are of a lightifh Grey-colour ; between the Back and Wing a little in- 
. dining to Reddifh Colour, and fpotted with Black : The Legs and Feet are of a purplifh Flefli- 
coloun the Webs between the Toes of a lightifli Lead-colour*, it hath four Toes, all webbed 
together, as in the Soland Goofe and Cormeranl\ the two inner Toes incline backward, but do not 
ftand fo dircdly back as in Birds that have them loofe 5 the Claws are of a Brownifli Colour. 
This Bird was brought from the Cape of Good Hope by Captain P^/^, in the India Company’s 
Service, Anno 1 745. who obliged me with a Sight of it before it was expofed in London. I find no 
material Difference between this, and what has been deferibed by Willoughby^ and the Academy 
of Paris^ (except its SizeJ fo that I cannot pronounce it fpecifically diffp'ent from what has bQcn 
. deferibed before. The Academy of Paris think the Bird they have deferibed is Pelican of Ari- 
Jotle and the Onocrotalus of Pliny ; they are alfo confirmed in the Opinion that this is a long-lived 
-Bird; for, out of a great Number kept 2itVerfailles^ none had died for more than twelve Years, 
being the aniy Animals kept in iht Managery, of which fome have not died in that Time:; The 
Wings, when extended, meafured eleven Feet, {Paris Meafure I fuppofej. The Curious, who defire 
to examine into the Anatomy of this Bird may confult Mem. de PAcademie Royale des ScienceSy depuis 
.1666. jufqif a 1699. Tom. 3. troifieme Partie, p. 186. Mr. Willoughby has alfo. colledled the 
Accounts of former Authors, and given a Defcription himfelf of this Bird in his .Ornithology, 
p. 32-7. tab. 6 '^. See alfo Prz9?«’s Travels into Perfidy &c. voL 2 . p. 167. where he 
rcalls ‘,ic ,Bahhe. The Pelican feems to inhabit the greateft Part of the Old World, it being 
; found in many Climates both far North and South, as well as the intermediate Latitudes ; it being 
pretty common in Rujfiiay abounding in Egypty and fometimes -found at the Cape Good HopCy 
Lv/hicb Country feems, by the above deferibed Bird, to breed -them darger th^ any other Place. 
As no Author hath given a tolerab e Figure of this Bird, my Jdiflory in that Refpedl will 
’be new, as well as in its extraordinary Magnitude,, . which all the Curious in this City are 
■ Witnefiea of, it having been publickly (hewn here. "Ehe 
