GEOGRAPHICAL SURVEYS WEST OF IOOTH MERIDIAN. 329 
PELECANIDiE—Pelicans. 
Pelecanus Linnseus. 
P. erythorynchus Lath. White Pelican. 
The white pelican is less known from its occurrence on either coast than from the 
abundant numbers that inhabit the great interior lakes. From their great extent, and in 
many instances complete isolation, as well as their containing an abundance of fish, the 
lakes of Nevada, California, and Oregon are especially favored by this bird, and on cer¬ 
tain of them, as Pyramid, Eagle, and Goose Lakes, the pelicans are found in summer in 
immense numbers. 
So much has been written from time to time upon the breeding habits of this species, 
that most persons interested in the subject may be presumed to be pretty familiar with 
them, and this part of the bird’s biography need not be enlarged upon here to any 
extent. • 
Naturally the white pelican seems to be rather stupid, and, when the privacy of a 
breeding colony is encroached upon for the lirst time by a human being, the liveliest 
feeling his presence is apt to excite is intense curiosity, which is occasionally carried to 
such an extent that the birds appear as though too completely overwhelmed with as¬ 
tonishment to take any special precaution for their own safety. Under such circum¬ 
stances they may occasionally be so closely approached as to be killed with clubs. No 
creature however so dull as not to profit by the lessons that experience teaches, and 
the treatment the pelican usually receives at the hands of man is of such kind that in 
him they soon learn to recognize an enemy to be feared and shunned on all occasions. 
Such is the case at Great Salt Lake where the former great abundance of the pelican 
is attested by all the early explorers, but where now the bird is known only as a cas¬ 
ual visitant. Persecution is having a similar result at Pyramid Lake, Nevada, where 
a few years ago the birds were so tame as to permit themselves to be almost caught 
by hand. At present, though si ill abundant, they are excessively shy having been 
driven entirely away from certain of the islands by treatment which must eventually 
cause their complete disappearance. 
From its large size and conspicuous plumage, and the habit of colonization at 
the nesting period, added to the complete exposure of the eggs upon the sands, and 
finally from the fact that the young when hatched are perfectly helpless for a period 
of over a month, the pelican is peculiarly exposed to the assault of its enemies. From 
four-footed foes it secures immunity by nesting upon islands, a precaution which, of 
course, proves of no avail from its human persecutors. 
At Pyramid Lake a crusade has been inaugurated against the pelicans by the fish¬ 
erman. whose cause is justified in their own eyes by the voracity of the big birds, and 
the number of fish consumed by them. In a single day, as I was informed, over 700 
eggs belonging to one colony were destroyed. This complaint of injury done the fish¬ 
ing interests is not, it must be said, without some foundation. The number of pounds 
of fish consumed in a day by the combined numbers of a large colony of pelicans, 
especially when feeding young, must amount to something fabulous. As a rule, how¬ 
ever, and from the nature of the mode of fishing practiced by the white pelican, fish 
of value, as the trout, are but little exposed to their attacks; the species they are 
able to obtain consists chiefly of the smaller fry found in shallow water, and of little 
or no table-value whatever, their principal, if not their only, importance being as food 
for better kinds. As this small fry fairly swarms in all the western lakes, there is no 
danger at present, at least, that the fishing interests will be injured in this indirect 
manner, as indeed is plainly evidenced at Pyramid Lake, where, despite the number of 
the pelicans, trout exist in enormous numbers. 
The method of obtaining their prey by banding together, driving the fish before 
them into shallow water and then scooping them up with open bill by means of quick 
rushes, I have often witnessed and is well known. The large size of the fish a pelican, 
under emergency, is able to dispose of, is somewhat surprising. I once saw a bird 
which had been wounded, and which was apparently unable to clear the surface of 
the water, throw up a sucker which I estimated to weigh not less than three pounds. 
Having rid itself of extra ballast to this extent, it flew away with ease. 
The deposition of the pelicans’ eggs takes place at a very early date; the colony at 
Pyramid Lake, as I learned, having laid many eggs by April 10, and this is 1 think about 
the usual date. As might be presumed, all the pairs of a colony do not begin laying 
at the same time ; in fact there is much irregularity in this respect, and as a conse¬ 
quence there results a corresponding difference in the time of appearance of the young. 
This was clearly shown in the case of a community of from 500 to 1,000 pairs that 
had established themselves on a sandy island in Eagle Lake (Cal.), and which I 
visited July 4. At this date the young were present in all stages of growth, from the 
chick just breaking the shell to the youngster fully grown, but still unable to fly. A 
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