PELICANID^. 
193 
The razor-biR lays but a single egg, and, like most of 
Its tribe, lives upon marine insects and small fish. 
The true penguins (Apteniodytes) are more properly 
confined to the southern seas, vdiere they represent our 
auks : they are, in general, much larger birds, and the 
feathers lie so close on the body as to appear like 
scales : the feet are placed so far backward, that, when 
upon land, the penguin stands nearly erect; at such 
times they may be approached with ease; but when 
once they have gained the water, they swim with the 
ease and rapidity of a fish, springing several feet over 
any object that may impede their course, and then once 
more continuing their course. One species, the Apte- 
niodytes chrysocoma, of Van Diemen’s Land, is stated to 
proceed on land by leaps or bounds, rather than by 
walking. On the whole, these are the most singular 
of all aquatic birds, and clearly point out that nature 
is about to pass from the birds to the fishes. 
(215.) The PELicANinas, or pelicans, are arranged 
under the fourth division. These birds are very different 
from the last, for they fly with ease, and even with 
swiftness. They are a large, voracious, and wandering 
tribe, living for the most part on the ocean, and seldom 
approach land but at the season of incubation ; the Itill 
is long, and armed at the end with an abrupt hook ; 
the w'idth of the gape is excessive ; the face is generally 
bare of feathers, and the skin of the thfoat is some- 
times so extensible as to hang down like a bag : by this 
curious organisation, the pelicans are able to swallow 
fish of a very large size, and the whole family may be 
termed oceanic vultures. The genera may be thus 
briefly noticed: — Of the true pelicans {Peliaanm) 
there appear to be three or four species, all remarkable 
for the enormous size to which the skin of the throat 
can be exjianded. One species (/W. orumrotalus), which 
is the best known, is occasionally found in the South of 
Europe, and is frequently seen in menageries. The 
cormorants (Carbo) have the bill shorter, and the 
pouch much smaller; they are found in most lati- 
voL. :i. o 
