down with surprising speed without chocking speed in the least. as the 
v/. - tar wan entered the bill was opened end thrust forward with a scooping 
notion. In case the fieh surged ahead the neck was extended with a quick 
dart. At tines this movement was at a lateral angle so that the birds 
struct the watjr on ono side but immediately righted themselves never be- 
coming overbalanced so that they turned on the baok. On assuming an erect 
position on the eurf&ee the bill was drawn slowly up to drain the water 
from the tip without carrying the fish with it. me bill was then thrown 
up ?>nd out and the fish were swallowed. This process often was aided by 
a quick notion of the tongue and hyoids that loosened the fish from the 
walls of the pouch so that the tongue in spite of its rudimentary condition 
p erne to have a certain funotion. When gulls came up in an attenpt to 
rob, the pelioans turned their backs to them often whirling round and round 
to< evade attacic. Occasionally when fish were running deep the pelicans 
ciivJtram a height of 60 feet, struck the mter perpendicularly, and went 
clear oene&th the surface. After observing the feeding habits of these 
" v . g * , 
birds the extraordinary development of the air cells lying between the it in 
and body nay be readily explained on the ground that these act as buffers 
in protecting the muscles beneath from bruising and injury from the impact 
with which the bird strikes the water. This emphysematous condition nay be 
thought then to have arisen in the diving species and to have persisted in 
those forms in which it now has no value. That it is used for the purpose 
described is shown by the fkot that the air cells are especially numerous 
on the anterior p.-.rt of the body where most of the shook is received. 
At Pelican Island during the work of scouring data on the food of 
these birds I had abundant opportunity to nake observations on the** habits. 
• ^ 
The birds were nore or less unafraid and by moving about slowly without 
