PELECANUS PHILIPPINENSIS. 
(THE GREY PELICAN.) 
Pelecanus philippinensis, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 571 (1878); Walden, Trans. Zool. Soc. 1875, 
ix. p. 246. 
Pelecanus philippensis (Gm.), Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. A. S. B. p. 297 (1849) ; Layard, Ann. & 
Mag. Nat. Hist. 1854, xiv. p. 271 ; Jerdon, B. of Ind. iii. p. 858 (1864) ; Holdsw. 
P. Z. S. 1872, p. 482 ; Hume, Nests and Eggs, iii. p. 658 (1875); David & Oust. Ois. 
de la Chine, p. 531 (1877) ; Hume, Str. Feath. 1878, p. 495 (B. of Tenass.) ; Oates, 
ibid. 1878, vii. p. 41 ; Hume, ibid. 1879, p. 116 (List B. of Ind.). 
Pelecanus rufescens( Gm.), Elliot, P. Z. S. 1869, p. 583 (in part). 
Pelican des Philippines , Buff. PL Enl. 965 ; Pelican , Europeans in Ceylon. Won-bo, Arrakan 
(Blyth); It alang Jcadda, Java; Koolookedai, Ceylonese Tamils (Layard). 
Kula-kidar , Sinhalese. 
Adult female (March, Ceylon). Length 52-0 inches ; wing 20-5 ; tail 8-5 ; tarsus 3-0 ; middle toe and claw 4-6 ; outer 
toe and claw 4-2 ; bill at front (not including the nail) 11-0, gape to tip of nail (straight) 12-3, width of upper 
mandible at the base 1-2, of lower at gape 2-2. 
Feathers of forehead forming a concave line at the base of the bill. 
Tris brown ; bill fleshy, with bluish spots and oblique bars on either side of the culmen; pouch and facial skin fleshy, 
marked with dark veins and patches ; legs and feet bluish ; webs darker than the toes. 
heathers of the head and neck white with dark bases, of a fluffy character, and standing erect from the skin : a short 
nuchal crest an inch long and slightly recurved ; interscapulary region, upper scapulars, wing-coverts, and under 
surface white; the wing-coverts lanceolate in shape, and the longer scapulars and greater coverts with black 
shafts ; the back, flanks, and axiflaries delicate vinaceous, the shafts darker than the webs on the back ; abdominal 
region and under tail-coverts tinged with vinaceous ; underlying broad scapulars, tertials, greater secondary wing- 
coverts, secondaries, and tail grey-brown, the feathers white at the base, those of the tail paling to whitish at 
the margins ; primaries and their coverts dark brown, white at the base ; upper tail-coverts white, with dark 
shafts ; under wing white, the lesser series of feathers rosy grey or vinaceous ; under tertial coverts white. 
1 his specimen was shot from the nest, and is much soiled on the under surface ; the fluffy feathers end on the fore 
neck about 5 inches from the pouch, up to which point the normal smooth feathers of the under surface reach. 
1 he rosy tint is, I imagine, variable, being much more conspicuous in some specimens than in others, and in the non- 
breeding season is absent, 
1 bung, The nestling is at first covered with white down. 
I n first plumage the upper back and under surface, as also the neck, are brownish grey ; lower back and upper tail- 
coverts whitish ; wing-coverts brown ; quills and tail dark brown. 
Rill fleshy, the spots less plainly indicated than in the adult ; legs and feet bluish. 
Obs. The Grey Pelican of India, to which Gmelin’s name appears applicable, has been considered by some to be the 
same as the African species, P. rufescens, Gm. Among those who have united the two birds are Schlegel, Elliot, 
and G. R. Gray ; while other high authorities, Mr. Sclater, the Marquis of Tweeddale, and Mr. Hume, hold that the 
Indian bird is distinct. I have examined the specimens of the latter bird in the British Museum and find that 
tho feathers of the head and neck are quite different, not partaking of that fluffy or furry nature which is eminently 
characteristic of our bird ; the crest is altogether different, and the bill has none of the peculiar “ impressed ’’ 
spots, which are also a well-marked feature of P. philippinensis ; it (the African species) is also larger and has a 
longer bill than our bird. An adult specimen measures— wing 22-0 inches, bill (gape to base of nail) 12-2; an 
immature example wing 20-5, bill (gape to base of nail) 1 1 -3. There appears, therefore, to be no question as to the 
distinctness of the two species. Assuming that the Philippine bird is the same as the Indian, this species was 
first described from Luzon from an example sent to Paris. 
Pelecanus javanicus, Horsf., the Lesser White Pelican of India, is white tinged with rosy ; the tail is white also, and 
the primaries dusky grey. It is considerably larger than the Grey Pelican. Fifteen specimens tabulated by 
Mr. Hume measure in the wing from 23 0 to 26-75 inches; tarsus 4-25 to 5-5. 
