THE PELICAN. 
387 
water, that the poor frightened creatures had closed within 
the smallest compass, and by the upheaving struggles of the 
lower stratum of the shoal, were thus unwillingly exposed to 
greater dangers in another element; for, availing themselves 
of this eventful moment, down came the birds with one 
simultaneous pounce upon the dense mass. Shortly after, the 
dark fin would again appear, and a bright jet of glistening 
foam, rising like a fountain, announced that the animal was 
under the necessity of breathing or blowing after his labours. 
Then again he would descend headlong, with a sort of 
recruited spring, exhibiting nearly his whole body, and giving 
the water a tremendous lash with his tail as it disappeared. 
The sound produced by this crash upon the waves was 
astounding enough in itself, hut the effect of the blow was 
far more so ; for whether, by a sort of sculling motion, it 
scooped and threw a mass of herrings upwards with a jerk, 
or whether they were fairly driven from the water with 
the cloud of foam which followed the blow, the air for 
some feet above the water was spangled with bright specks 
of herrings, on which the united host of birds again 
pounced, forming one mingled mass of herrings, sea-fowl, 
and foam. 
In the West Indies, it appears that some of the species of 
Pelicans are able to immerse their bodies ; and, after diving 
and bringing up their pouches full of fish, will good- 
naturedly allow the Parasite Gulls (so called from being in 
the habit of living on the labour of others), to settle on their 
heads, and partake of the spoil a fact, in great degree 
corroborating the Russian account of the Cormorants just 
mentioned. If the Pelicans of the West Indies permit them- 
selves to he made into resting-places for other birds, those of 
the Eastern world consider themselves equally privileged to 
make resting-places for themselves on the bodies of animals. 
On the hanks of the river Tigris, in Asia, the favourite resort 
of a species of Pelican (JPelicanus fuscus), they may he seen 
in great numbers spreading their silvery wings, quietly settled 
Transatlantic Sketches. 
c c 2 
