THE PELICAN AND THE GULLS 
93 
That’s what the long pouch under his bill is. That 
suitcase, as you call it, can hold six or eight good- 
sized fish. He stores them, there until he is ready to 
swallow them, or he takes them to the young birds 
in his nest.” 
“Where do pelicans make their nests?” 
“High in trees, or sometimes on a cliff, near the 
seashore. Let’s sit quietly here in the shade, and 
watch those two yonder.” 
The two pelicans seemed to be staring at the man 
and children for a long time. Then one of them 
flapped away. He was truly an immense bird, appar¬ 
ently as large as a young turkey. His bill and pouch 
made him appear queer, and his neck was curved like 
the letter S. 
He flew gracefully, almost touching the water, dip¬ 
ping down in the troughs of the big waves and rising 
over their crests. Suddenly he made a quick splash. 
He had seen a fish near the surface of the water and 
dipped it into his great beak. 
The second pelican saw the catch, so he promptly 
flew over that way also. This one’s beak-pouch was 
nearly full, because it was hanging down more. Nev¬ 
ertheless, he hovered over the waves a moment, and 
then dived into the water also. 
