. Birds: the elements of ornithology . The Common Gannet the Pelican {Pelecanus onocrotaliis), the unwieldy form andawkward gait of which, as well as its long bill with the greatbag of skin beneath it and in front of the throat, must havestrongly impressed every one who has seen it. Unwieldyas it is, and very web-footed, it is fond of perching on inhabits Africa and the Western and Central parts of Asia * Thousands breed at St. Kilda. 28 ELEMBNTS or ORMTHOLOGT. and South-eastern Europe. Other species of Pelicans are alsofound in North and South America, and there are about tenin all.
. Birds: the elements of ornithology . The Common Gannet the Pelican {Pelecanus onocrotaliis), the unwieldy form andawkward gait of which, as well as its long bill with the greatbag of skin beneath it and in front of the throat, must havestrongly impressed every one who has seen it. Unwieldyas it is, and very web-footed, it is fond of perching on inhabits Africa and the Western and Central parts of Asia * Thousands breed at St. Kilda. 28 ELEMBNTS or ORMTHOLOGT. and South-eastern Europe. Other species of Pelicans are alsofound in North and South America, and there are about tenin all. Pelicans go in large troops, and though, like the Gannet,no divers, they will, like that bird, sometimes dash down verti-cally into the water from a great height in pursuit of the fishon which they feed, resting a very brief time on the surfaceof the water to swallow their prey, tossing up their bill anddistending the pouch beneath it. Fig. The Oommon Pelican {Pelecamcs onoorotalm). Eeturning from such exotic creatures as Pelicans and Dartersto more familiar forms, when we think of Sea Birds, the Gullsof our coasts come naturally before the mind. The CommonGull (Larus canus) may serve as the type of a large groupwhich is spread over the whole world, and consists of atleastforty-eight kinds, all remarkably similar in form, general coloration, INTBODXrCTIOJT. 29 and mode of life. The common species is very often to be seenon the banks of the Thames, and many of the Gulls, thoughfamiliar objects at the sea-side, largely frequent inland waters,feeding on worms, insects, eggs, the nestlings of other Birds,mice, &c., as well as fish. Their flight is graceful, and theymay often be seen sailing in circles in the breeze, with hardly aperceptible motion of the wing. The Terns are yet more graceful in flight, but they walk Fig. 27.
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookpubl, booksubjectornithology
