54 
PELICANIFORMES 
Undoubtedly, too many pelicans on shallow lakes would injure the fishing, 
but the greater danger today is to the pelicans rather than to the fish. 
They are conspicuous birds, their numbers are likely to be over, rather than 
under, estimated, inducing an uneasiness as to their effect that a more 
careful comparison with the area covered would quiet. 
126. Brown Pelican, le pelican brun. Pelecanus occidental is. L, 53 or more. 
Sooty brown below; grey, narrowly streaked with brown above. 
Face, and narrow line along gular pouch, white, in striking con- 
trast with very dark brown hindneck. Gular pouch dark in 
colour. 
Distinctions. Above description obvious. 
Field Marks. Any dark-coloured pelican in Canada would be 
this species. 
Nesting. On the ground, in large communities, on islands, 
sometimes on steeply sloping shores. 
Distribution. Southern coasts of United States on both 
oceans southward. There are only casual occurrences in Canada, 
Nova Scotia and southern British Columbia coasts. 
SUBSPECIES. Two subspecies are recognized: Pelecanus 
occidenlalis occidentalis Eastern Brown Pelican (le Pelican brun 
de l'Est), and Pelecanus occidentalis californicus California Brown 
Pelican (le Pelican brun de Californie), differing from the former 
in having the gular pouch dull reddish in place of dull dusky. 
FAMILY — -SULIDAE. GANNETS 
General Description. Large birds, mostly white when adult, bill sharp and straight 
without hook or pronounced throat or gular pouch. 
Distinctions. The bill characters of this family serve to distinguish it from all except- 
ing Tropic-birds, one species of which has been taken off Newfoundland (See Figure 89). 
As the Tropic-birds, however, have enormously elongated middle tail feathers there is 
little chance of confusion, even if they were not too rare in our waters to merit detailed 
consideration here. 
The gannets are strictly marine birds, never seen away from the sea 
except as stragglers. The family on the whole is tropical and only one 
species occurs in Canada. 
117. Gan.net. solan goose, le margot (le Fou de Bassan). Sulabassana. L, 35. 
A completely webbed swimmer with straight bill without pronounced hook or conspicuous 
throat or gular pouch. 
scale, about ^ 
Figure 93 
Details of Gannet, 
scale, head, i- 
Tail much reduced. 
Distinctions. The bill characters are distinctive. The adult is pure white except for 
the black primaries and a rich creamy suffusion over the crown and hindneck. The young 
bird of the year is greyish brown, lighter below, and each feather has a small white V 
at the tip that gives an even mottling over all. Several intermediate spotted stages occur 
between these plumages. 
