Observations 
The great hulk of species of valuable food fishes are of deep 
swimming habit and so seldom come within reach of the Pelican* The 
mullet is the only abundant species in this group that occurs/ regu- 
larly on the shoals where it is available for these birds. 
it is 
available 
, and it is this fish whose decrease in num- 
ber is attributed to the Brown Pelican by part of the fishermen. 
According to common belief in Florida mullet ere said to appear 
at certain times in solid schools in or near the passes leading to the 
ocean during spawning and fertilization of the eggs, and to remain 
thus for a number of hours* It was claimed that at such periods 
pelicans gathered to feed on the massed fish and proved very destruc- 
tive as they ate many roe mullet. It was a common statement that the 
mulle t paid no attention to the birds, and that the pelicans were 
careful not to dive into the closely paciffld fish through fear of doing 
bodily injury to themselves! This spawning period came from November 
to February according to the locality* 
In part it was in hope of securing definite information on this that 
the present field trip was undertaken* Upon reaching the west coast 
of Florida however it was found that this massed spawning was one of 
those elusive things that does not happen where one is working but is 
always about to ocour at some point farther on* On inquiry among the 
fishermen it was found in a way to be tradition among them though many 
claimed to have seen it during previous years. No one was seen who had 
observed it this year or last* The place at which it might occur was 
also unoertain so that after considerable inquiry I was forced to give 
up any idea of observing the pelioans in connection with this pheno- 
menon* On returning to Washington I learned from Ur* R. 8* Coker of 
