650 
“THE BIRDS OF MESOPOTAMIA.” 
BY 
Claud B, Ticehurst, M.A., M.B.O.U., late Captain, E.A.M.C. 
ASSISTED BY 
P. A. Buxton, M.A., M.B.O.U., late Captain, R.A.M.C. 
AND 
Major R. E. Cheesman, M.B.O.U., 5th Buffs. 
Part III, 
{With 2 plates.) 
Continved from, page 427 of this Volume. 
190. White Pelican, Pelecanus onocrotalus. 
1. Pelecanus onocrotalus onocrotalus. li. (Syst. Nat., 1758, p. 132 — Africa) 
2. Pelecanus onocrotalus roseus, Gm. (Syst. Nat. 1, p. 570, 1788 — Manila) 
191, Dalmatian Pelican. Pelecanus crispus. 
Pelecanus crispus, Bruch (Isis., 1832 p. 1109 — Dalmatia). 
The information to hand about Pelicans is not at all satisfactory and fails to 
clear up the status of these birds. White Pelicans appear to be common. Mag- 
rath noted thousands on the Suveeikieh marsh in August and says they had quite 
small young with them. Elsewhere on the inundations huge flocks are to be 
seen from time to time as the state of the water is favourable or otherwise, as at 
Kut, Nukta, Amara, near Baghdad, etc., and nearly all records relate to the 
months of November to April while Pitman noted a migratory movement at 
the end of February, flocks then travelling north, and he says that Pelicans 
were absent from the Baghdad floods from April 23rd to the end of July. 
Of the Dalmatian Pelican we have but few records ; it was noted by Pitman 
at Fao and Amara in winter and seen occasionally at Tekrit by Logan Home 
also in winter ; Zarudny gives it as a winter visitor. 
Pelicans breed near Fao whence Gumming sent to the British Museum a number 
of specimens, chicks and eggs. These specimens Mr. Kinnear has kindly hunted 
up for me and examined ; of roseus there are three immature specimens and 
an adult, the latter is dated October 24th, 1886, the others bear no date ; of 
onocrotalus, there are two adults and two immature birds, one in Decembet’, the 
rest bear no date. There are two feathering chicks ; in the onocrotalus -roseus 
group the feathering on the forehead ends in a point, in the crispus-philippinensis 
group the feathering ends in a concave margin and judging by this Mr. Kinnear 
says these chicks are those of cmpMS. In the Ibis, 1891, p. 116, Sharpe referred 
an adult head, eggs and apparently these chicks (dated October 24th, 1886) to 
mitratus (= onocrotalus). 
Whether both species breed in Mesopotamia is a matter which requires future 
investigation as does the status of all three birds, and breeding specimens are 
desirable. 
