378 Birds. 
it on, and forces it to the sea in search of nourishment ; 
when thus excited to exertion, the Pelican flies from the 
spot, and, raising itself thirty or forty feet above the 
surface of the water, turns its head with one eye down- 
ward, and continues to fly in that position till it sees a 
fish near the surface. It then darts down with astonish- 
ing swiftness, seizes its prey with unerring certainty, 
and stores it in its pouch. Having done this, it rises 
into the air, and repeats the same action till it has pro- 
cured a sufficient stock. The Pelican is by no means 
destitute of natural affection, either towards its young 
ones or towards others of its own species. Clavigero, in 
his " History of Mexico," says, that sometimes the Ameri- 
cans, in order to procure, without trouble, a ssupply of 
fish, cruelly break the wing of a live Pelican, and, after 
tying the bird to a tree, conceal themselves near the 
place. The screams of the miserable bird attract other 
Pelicans to the place, which, he assures us, eject a por- 
tion of the provisions from their pouches for their impri- 
soned companion. As soon as the men observe this, they 
rush to the spot, and after leaving a small quantity for 
the bird, carry off the remainder. 
In America, Pelicans are often rendered domestic, and 
are so trained, that at command they go in the morning 
and return before night with their pouches distended with 
prey, part of which they are made to disgorge, while the 
rest is left them for their trouble. The bird is said to 
live sometimes a hundred years. 
Our forefathers attributed extraordinary affection to 
this bird, more than is attested by any save heraldic evi- 
dence. Thus, in several crests, it is represented in the 
act of feeding its young with its own blood, which it 
procures by striking its breast with the sharp point of 
its beak. And the ancients fully believed that in times 
of scarcity the female Pelican resorted to this means of 
supporting her brood. The nest of the Pelican is made 
with sedges and grass, close to the water's edge ; the 
female lays two or three white eggs, and the male is said 
to supply his partner with food while she is engaged in 
the work of incubation. 
