Daily Kennebec journal., 1877-02-05
Daily Sitnntbtt SOurnal.
A TAME TELiClN.

kE. c. Nose e. of Nassau, New P!o /
dence. was for number of years the own
er of a tame pelican. The beautiful crea-
ture was in the habit of following Mr..
Moseley wherever he went, and was his
most affectionate alter ego. The pelican
was fine specimen of tnat peculiar oird'
and about as tall as a man. The pelican
lived on lust three fish day, and these
were obtained regularly in the morning,
the pelican going TO the fish market and
pickinp them ont of the tubs of Just the
size aud kind to suit his taste and diges-
tion. Fish in Nassau are sold from large
tubs. filled with water, IN which they swim
about until taken out for the purchaser,
who selects his fish while that creature is
alive and swimming Mr.. Moseley had
instructed ali the fiShmongers to allow his
pelican to put his long neck and b II into
any of the tubs, and pick out such flsh as
his pelicanship might desire. ne paying
for the fish afterwards. All the fishermen
knew that pelican. and loved MIN as
though he was "a man and brother
In fact the pelican was one OF the privlI-
eyed characters of the town. known and
admired bv all. aud no one ever molested
him or made him afraid In fact he was
the sacred bird of Nassau. Usually the
patient pelican would wait until his boss
was ready of mornings to sally out, ana
then it was sight to see the two walking
side bv side with social, wise and dlgnl-
fled men to the market, where the master
would wait until the pelican had break
tasted as the pelican had previously walt
ed until the master had flushed the morn
ing meal The pelican would carefully
draw from the tishmonger's tuo fish
about the size of porgy, and il this went
down tail end first in his pouch the pell-
can would delicately gulp 1t up and toss
the fish up in the air until 1t came down
head first, and Then the fish would slowly
descend through the gulet until 1t finally
disappeared from sight IN the NAV. Mr..
Moseley was late in breakfasting on one
unfortunate morning, but the pelican pa
tiently waited at the door for his master,
first standing on one leg and then on the
other, until patience in the tired bird
ceased longer to be virtue. Then the
pelican. longing for his deferred break
fast, sadly made his way alone to his ac
customed hsh-tub in the market. There
was new man, raw English negro,
tending the fish-tub that morning, and he
was in blssful ignorance of the practices
and habits of that bird, and knew naught
of his privileged character. The pelican,
as usual, walked up to the tub. thrust his
long neck into it, and coolly tossed up
fish until il headed downward5, and then
verJ cooly put it away in his pouch. The
tub-tender was astonished, and stood back
in horror. Presently the pelican again
drew another fish from the tub and also
swallowed that in the same way. Now
the tub-tender was not only astoDjshed,
but Mortified and he looked on aghast at
the gradual iessening of his store OF fish
So he picked up club. and just as the
pelican was throwing up the third fish
high in the air TO catch it on the fly as ii
came down, he struck the pelican on the
head. and thus murdered him on the spot.
Corr. Troy Budget.