The sea coast echo., 1900-02-10

flames. Youths Companion.
"TcIicantown.''
Frank ". Chapman tells the renders
of the st. Nicholas how and where the
peIicaus Of Florida build therevnests
and breed.
Why is it. he asks, that all the
eave-swaIlows il village place their
row Of mud tenemeuts under the roof
Of certain barn? Every nook in
which a nest could lie built is occupied
by the clay apartments-not one IS
Ito LETT" still, none Of the birds seem
to think Of building under the equally
favorable roof o; the neighboring barn.
Their cousins, the walIows, show
the same strong sociahilitv, and from
miles around they gather TO meet in
some particular saud-bank, the face ol
which Will be thickly pitted with tha
entrances to their burrows.
1t is not because the place chosen is
the only one available that the birds
nest in fochs. There may he hum
dreds of barns and banks just as good
as the ones selected. It IS not II
question of food, for insects are album
daut everywhere, and these strong
fving birds can hunt them over miles
OF country. 1t il not because they
find "safety in numhers;" rather DO
they make themselves conspicuous by
gathering in such large bodies. As
rule, it is soc;abiIity ty-the desire for
companiouship-jha offers the only
reasonable oyplauatioa for the great
colonies which may b6 observed at
ncsting-timc.
Certainly, no ether theory will ez-
pIuin the origin of Pelicantown. It's
site. like those often selected by human
colonists, seems poorly chosen; its
natural advantages are few; but so at
tached to their home &ye its inhabi-
tents that even the most cruel Iersa-
cution by Their human foes has failed
to drive them from the land OF their
ancestors.
But whore IS Teliaantown? In
spite of its population OF nearly three
thousand. few maps will show it.
Glance with me, therefore, at map
Of Florida. Find the Indian river,
that long, narrow lagoon oa its east
coast, divided from the sea by only a
ribbon Of land. PclicantoWn IS stu
ated about midway between It's north
ern and southern extremitics, near
the eastern shore Of bay which here
makes the river about three miles
wide. Il is an island, triangular in
shape, containing about three acres Of
ground. 4 few bushes and low palm
trees grow on it, and there are great
patches of tangled grass, but at least
one-fourth of its surface is bare sand.
During the nes ing season this bar
rem island is the home OF probably all
/ the pelicans of Indian rive. Here
they come to build their nests, lay
I their eggs, and rear their young, and
from January to May life III Pelican
/ town presents many novel scenes and
7 picturesque incidents.
/ In March, 1923, l visited this city
. of birds As my boat approached [
/ saw signs of life. Files OF birds were
/ returning fron fishing expeditions; !;
! pla,oons were resting on the sandy
voints; some were ii bathing, others
were sailing aboHt in broad circles
high overhead; and soon one could
hear the sound OF many voices-a
! medley OF strange cries IN an un-
/ known tongue.
1t beng quite impossible to count
the birds, determined to count their
nests, of which nay census showed
there were no less than S45; but only
. 25l were occupied, though all had
been built that spring.
The death rate is high in Pelican
| town. Doubtless many young birds
die through injuries received while
trying 20 escape from tourists who
visit the island and thoughtlessly
chase the young birds about. Eggs
and very young birds are destroyed IL
hundreds by fish crows, that daily
come over from the mainland or
marauding expeditions. 1t is not
probable. therefore, that in many
families three young pelicans live Il
leave the nest toge her; hence we nay
reckon about one and half pelican
to each of the deserted nests. Add tC
these two parent peicans to each nest
and we have 1881 birds on the wing oil
on foot. But this number is to he i'll
creased by the 154 young that were
still III the nests, making the tota
population of Pelicantown 273F.
This calculation, however, does no
take into account the eggs found, from
which almost hourly come new in
habitants of the island; and it is Will
these eggs, or rather in what thel
were placed, that we may begin oul
study of pelican's life.