had difficulty in securing food and in Borne cases It wus certain 
that some of them secured none for a period of two or even three days# 
Even under these conditions they did not turn systematically to mullet 
fishing though these fiah were present in small schools on the shoals# 
The Brown Pelican however is often a decided nuisance to mullet 
fishermen in the following way# When gill nets are used pelicans fre- 
• ♦ I • ^ ^ J r 
quently gathar after a ’’set” of the nets has been made and endeavor to 
pull out mullet that are caught in the mesh on the outer circle. I 
witnessed this personally while travelling with fishermen, from Cortez* 
The Pelicans knew well what the fishermen were about and when the circle 
of nets wa6 oampleted came flying over to investigate them. When the 
fish began to strike the pelicans gathered at the side of the circle 
away from the fishermen and pulled and hauled at the fish dragging the 
net up and endeavoring to swallow the mullet and seeming much disgusted 
when the fish were held in the mosheB# Often half a dozen pulled and 
huuled at the net in an effort to get one fish but usually they did not 
succeed in seouring it. 1 wa6 told that when nets became old that pel- 
iouna frequently tore them badly, a statement that there is no reason 
to doubt as the birds are strong and five or six hauling at one spot 
would produce considerable strain# Frequently mullet had large areas 
on their sides scraped bare of scales by the bills of the birds in their 
struggles to pull them out. This difficulty with pelicans was said 
to be more common during cold weather when fish were scarce and was re- 
ported to be worse in some localities than in others# I observed it 
personally several times but was present on numerous other occasions when 
joelioans paid no attention whatever to the nets# It is probable that 
the birds could be driven away by throwing stones, clams or heavy mollusli 
shells at them* 
