The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1877-06-29

0o'oi, anu his Wings anu Ditck are very Deau-
tiful.
Shot on the wing, peicans dump the fish
from their throats while falling to the
ground. Their main food is mullet and
hickory shad. When their pouches are fill
| ed the fish pass into their stomachs as corn
does through hopper, the lowest being the
first digested. An exclusively fish diet gives
the pelican an ancient and fsh-like smell.
The body is loaded with fat, and a gun oil,
unsurpassed in salt water countries drips
from it when hung in the sun.
visit to pelican colony or roost is well
worth journey to Florida. These colonies
settle on mangrove islands, within reach of
the ocean beach. Here they build their
nests and rear their young. The trees soon
die, but the skeletons remain and are piled
with nests. Thick, rank grass grows on the
| richly manured soil. Were it not for the
| high tides that have washed these islands
for centuries, Florida might boast of guano
| deposits as extensive as those of Peru.
Two years ago last April, Mr.. Charles
| Bostrom and myself visited a pelican colony
on mangrove island near the mouth of the
| st. Sebastian. The forests of dead man.
groves were whitewashed with guano. This
gave the island an aspect of civilization
| From the main land it looked as though a
| New England village had been set down on
the broad bosom of the Indian river. A Cloud
Of pelicans overshadowed it, and steady
streams poured north and south in search Of
food. Within five hundred yards we saw
hundreds of great birds perched on the dead
limbs feeding their young. In the bright
sunlight their backs shone like silver man
ties. AS we neared them, most of them flew
into the water and anchored within gunshot.
A few held their ground until we stepped
ashore.
Finding the water very shallow, we landed
on dead tree blown into the river. This
tree was filled with nests. As we took hold
of its branches a score of tledglngs opened
their long bills and squalled like terrified
babies. Good-sized fish protruded from
some of their throats, but their victuals did
not stop their mouths. As we picked our
way along the slippery traak, the puny
youngsters viciously struck at us, and en-
deavored to tlutter out of reach. The island
was paved and rooted with nests. The dead
mangroves were loaded, and the grass and
sand carpeted with eggs and fledglings. 1t
was difficult to walk without crushing them.
Pelicans were there of all sizes and condi-
tons, from the leathery little fellow half out
of the egg, to those ready to quit the nest
Such clatter | never befWe heard. The
} young birds certainly make up for their 81.
) lence in old age by their noise in the cradle
, Those most matured left their nests and
, marched through the grass, battalion
dressed in white, uttering piercing cries. Al
: we advanced, company after company JOINED
the battalion, and on reaching the other side
4 of the island, over five thousand young bird
e were in its ranks, filling the heavens with
b. screams of terror. Those unable to NOV,
e redoubled their cries, and the noise became
< deaiening. 1t was only by shouting that W,
: made ourselves heard. The fleet of old bird
= remained anchored off the island, silent an,
r motionless. Every eye was fastened on us
: They knew they were powerless, and sat oil
r the water like stoics, calmly awaiting tn
r the DEGREES of fate
7 Nearly all the young ones were gorge,
: with fresh fish. In some cases the fish wer
8 actually loundering in their throats. | saw
a one hydrocephalous mite, featherless an
feeble, lying on its side, its bill closed on
a fish twice its weight, From appearances tn
fish was swallowing the pelican. Pulling
out by the tail, found the head partly di
8 gested, and the rest of its body would un
;. doubtedly have gone through the same hop
per-like process. Some of the hedglings ha
become goggle-eyed in their efforts to swal
t low large fish. Generally there were two bird
: to a nest. Some nests, however, containe
r three or four, and | saw one holding five
The young seem to feather very slowly. A
e a short distance they look like naked in
!. fants.
:, Hearing no guns and perceiving that W
y did not injure their young, the ten thousan
Q old birds began to return. They had bee
visited by heartless wretches who, for mel
: sport, had shot heads of families and knocke
r over their children. The dried skeleton
e under the dead trees told the story. Assure
r of our pacific intentions, many reoccupie
i their nests. And not too soon, for cloud {
}, vicious crows had taken advantage of thei
: absence, and were carrying off eggs an
r beating out the brains of the tender younl
v The young battalion was scattered, and tt
mothers were driving home their broods {
IS we re-embarked. The pelicans all left Il
: water and resumed their perches on the dea
p limbs, while the stream of fsh-bearers pourt
s. in from the ocean.
In wet weather the odor from the island
= said to be overpowering. We visited it {
a clear, dry day. While anything but agre
able, it was not sickening, DR.. Wittlefe
n of Merritt's Island says that he saw tn
IS roost some years ago. before Matching Sc
l. son. a hen sat on every nest and was f
by its mate. The doctors companit
h thoughtlessly dubbed setting hen, al
l. thereat the whole body arose, darkening t
N sun. The birds empted their pouches
II they went up, and the two men were almC
ie buried under shower of fish. The doct
ID declares that thirty bushels or more fell
I'd the ground.
III During the Seminole war, soldiers s
H. toned at Dunlawton spent much time
- bass fishing. They got bait from a lal
J" pelican roost on the Halifax river. II
70 roost aud the one have described are
- serted and the only roost remaining betwe
st. Augustine and New River Inlet is opI
g. site the mouth of the st. Lucie. The pc
ns birds have been wantonly massacred, a
IN their bodies left to rot. In few years
cd the colonies will be wiped out. | am t.
ly that one man killed a boat load of fledglil
e. and carried them fifty miles using them