eee ne Oe BrOiNe Bru Lid eer tN 17 
Although pelicans are gregarious, sometimes nesting on inshore is- 
lands in colonies of thousands, they can hardly be called sociable. They 
show little fear of man. Usually they are exceedingly tame while they have 
eggs or chicks in the nest. Fright or any undue disturbance causes both 
adults and youngsters to disgorge. Young pelicans are often very noisy, 
but the adults are said to be incapable of any vocal sound. 
Brown Pelicans seldom stray far from salt water. They feed exclusive- 
ly on fish, almost wholly noncommercial varieties. They like to hunt for 
fish in shallow waters, where they can reach the bottom with their huge 
beaks while their bodies float on the surface. Yet the usual practice is to 
make a dive from 20 to 30 feet. The dive is at an angle and there is a 
twist to it so that the bird’s back rather than its breast hits the water. 
(This is doubted by some authorities.) The dive is downwind, but when the 
bird comes to the surface, it is headed upwind. Evidently it executes 
some kind of underwater somersault. Man-of-War Birds and Laughing Gulls 
sometimes steal a fish before the pelican can swallow it. 
T. Gilbert Pearson, after an extended investigation of the food habits 
of the Brown Pelican, reports that of 3,428 species of fish found near the 
southern Florida rookeries, ‘only 27 individual fish taken by pelicans were 
of a kind ever sold in the markets, and not a:single specimen of the highly 
prized varieties could be discovered in the possession of any pelican.” 
Brown Pelicans breed locally on the South Atlantic and Gulf Coasts 
from South Carolina to Brazil, and also in the Bahamas and West Indies. 
They winter from Florida and Gulf Coasts south. Pelicans are chiefly 
tropical. Their favorite haunts are the tops of pilings in harbors and along 
stretches of unfrequent beaches. A Brown Pelican perched on a harbor 
piling is very approachable. One may go very close and the bird merely 
surveys him quizzically. It seems almost companionable. 
Pelicans are credited with knowing instinctively the time of the turn 
of the tide. They are also considered to be weather prophets. If they re- 
main in sheltered bays to fish, bad weather is due, but when they go to 
the deep waters for their food, the weather will ‘be fine. 
927 Brummel Street, Evanston, Illinois 
ft fl iid Sl 
TWO MORE LIFE MEMBERS 
New Life Members have enrolled only about once a year, on the 
average, in our Society. This month we are especially pleased to re- 
port TWO life members at the same time. Mrs. John F. O’Toole of 
Chicago, who originally joined the I.A.S. in September, 1949, became 
a life member in March, 1963. Another long-time member, Miss Marion 
Clow of Lake Forest, Illinois, also changed to life membership this 
year. We are happy to welcome both of them into the select circle 
of life members, now 12 in number ...A former Director is paying 
her dues in $25.00 yearly installments and will become a life member 
the next time around. Gift subscriptions may also be given; see the 
back page of this issue for the various classes of membership. 
ft fi vai fl 
