altogether too lightly built to render such a mode of fishing practicable.
They lie upon the surface of the water as if they were made of cork, and
it is only in shallow water, to the bottom of which they can reach with
their long neck and hooked bill, that they usually fish for food. For this
purpose they assemble together in some place where water is of the proper
depth, arranging themselves with considerable regularity, so as to enclose
a large space, which as they advance forward is gradually diminished. In
large lakes and shallows by the sea-shore they arrange themselves in a
semicircle, and row themselves gradually towards the beach, or else they
form a complete circle, the diameter of which diminishes as they advance
towards each other. In narrow rivers or canals they divide into two
parties, and arrange themselves in close ranks facing each other, thus
enclosing a space in which their prey is to be procured, as the two lines
swim in opposite directions until they meet. In general these birds feed
only on fishes, but not unfrequently they catch other vertebrate animals.
Young birds, for example, that happen to approach them too closely are
seized and swallowed, and even half-grown Ducks occasionally disappear
down their capacious throats in an equally unceremonious manner. When
on dry land the gait of these birds is slow and waddling, nevertheless
they can scarcely be said to walk badly, and notwithstanding their webbed
feet, they readily perch upon trees; they swim well, and their powers of
flight are excellent. The daily life of the Pelicans is conducted in a
very regular manner; the early hours of morning are employed in catching
food, and they may then be seen hastening from all quarters to their
fishing-ground, in small or large parties, the former flying in single
file, the latter in the well-known V-shape adopted by many birds of
passage. Some parties may soon be seen returning from the water, satisfied
with their meal, while others are making their way towards the shallow bay
from which their breakfast has to be procured. Towards ten o'clock a.m.
they begin to congregate upon their favourite sandbank, or an inland group
of trees, and here they repose after their toil, some lazily digesting
their food, and others more actively employed in oiling and preening their
feathers, a proceeding in which they are occupied for a considerable
length of time, their long unmanageable bill being but little adapted to
the work. When this is accomplished, they take a kind of siesta, some
perched on trees, others on the ground, the former generally sitting bolt
upright upon the branches, with their necks thrown back, and their beak
resting on their breasts, while the latter generally lie flat on their
bellies, and doze away the noontide hours. Between three and four o'clock
the whole assembly begins to wake up and prepare for another fishing
excursion, in which they are engaged till sunset, after which they at once
set off to their sleeping-places, situated on a lonely sandbank, or some
island covered with trees, upon the branches of which they pass the night.
As to the breeding of these birds, we have been able to collect little
from personal observation; it appears, however, by no means unlikely that
in the interior of Africa some of them may build their nests in the trees,
to which they so frequently resort. In Southern Europe, as Von der Muhle
informs us, they select morasses and lakes for their breeding-places. In
some of these lakes, says our informant, floating islands are to be met
with, which are only approachable with great difficulty, and upon these
they build their rudely-constructed nests, as close to each as other
they can well be placed. The nests themselves are constructed of reeds
and sedges, trodden together into a mass, and are generally damp or even
wet. The whole neighbourhood is covered with their filth, the stench of
which, added to that of the putrid fishes, which are everywhere strewn
about, is at this hot season of the year, absolutely unbearable. Strangely
enough they do not all breed at the same time, for brooding females are
often sitting in the immediate vicinity of fledged young birds; indeed,
Freyberg, who has often visited these breeding-places, informs us that in
the same nest he has seen a nearly-fledged young one, and another as yet
only covered with down, a circumstance only to be explained by supposing
that two females had laid their eggs in the same nest. The usual number of
eggs, as we are told by Bädecker, is from three to five. Those that have
been observed in a state of captivity have only laid two. In proportion
to the bird the eggs are of small size, being not so large as those of
a Swan; their shape is more or less elongated, with both ends of equal
size, their colour is blueish white, but their external surface remains
for some time soft and pasty, and a layer of dirt, which sticks to them
after they have been sat upon, renders it impossible to clean the shell.
The young present nothing particular in their appearance, save that they
are disgustingly filthy, nevertheless, their parents seem affectionately
attached to them, and will suffer themselves to be captured rather than
desert their charge.
[Illustration: THE PELICAN (_Pelecanus onocrotalus_). ONE-SEVENTH NATURAL
SIZE.]
THE WHITE PELICAN.
The WHITE PELICAN (_Pelecanus onocrotalus_), the commonest and most widely
distributed species, is one of the largest members of the natatorial
order. In this bird the general colour of the body is white slightly
tinged with rose-red; the primary quills being dark brown; the front
of breast is yellow, upon the top of the head the feathers are much
elongated, so as to form a long streaming crest. In young birds the mantle
is brown mingled with grey, the under side dark grey. The eye is bright
red, and the bare space around it yellow; the beak is grey speckled with
red and yellow; the bag beneath the bill veined with yellowish blue; the
feet are bright flesh-red. This species is from fifty-five to sixty-two
inches long, and ninety to one hundred broad; the wing measures about
twenty inches; and the tail about six inches and a half. The White Pelican
principally inhabits the tropical climates of Africa and India, but is
also found in the Mediterranean, on the extensive lakes of Hungary and
Russia, and on the eastern rivers of Europe. In Southern Europe it appears
about the end of April or beginning of May, returning to its winter
quarters after the breeding season. Occasionally these birds miss their
way and make their appearance in Germany, greatly to the astonishment
of the inhabitants of the districts so visited. In Hungary they usually
arrive in flocks of some four or six hundred individuals; these
immediately disperse throughout the country for the purpose of breeding;
after the period of incubation they again assemble in flocks previous
to taking their departure. This species subsists on all kinds of fish,
which it catches with facility, and with such sharp-eyed vigilance, that
not even the smallest escapes its observation. It is unable to dive, and
therefore only searches for food in small and shallow inlets of rivers. It
occasionally ascends to some height in the air, and descrying a fish from
on high, darts upon it with unerring aim.
The nest is placed on the ground, and is composed of coarse grass, lined
with a softer kind. The two eggs are white. It carefully tends its young,
conveying food to them in the singular pouch which, says Shaw, is one
of the most remarkable appendages that is found in the structure of any
animal. Though it contracts nearly into the hollow of the jaws, and
the sides are not (in a quiescent state) above an inch asunder, it may
be extended to an amazing capacity, and when the bird has fished with
success, its size is almost incredible; it will contain a man's head
with the greatest ease. In fishing, the Pelican fills this bag, and does
not immediately swallow his prey, but when this is full, he returns to
the shore to devour at leisure the fruits of his industry. Audubon gives
the following graphic account of the movements of an American species,
_P. Americanus_, which is not only very similar in appearance, but until
recently bore the same specific name as the bird above described, thereby
creating considerable confusion between it and the White Pelican of the
eastern hemisphere. "Ranged along the margins of the sand bar in broken
array, stand a hundred heavy-bodied Pelicans, pluming themselves, and
awaiting the return of hunger. Should one chance to gape, all open their
large and broad mandibles, yawning lazily and luxuriously. But when the
red beams of the setting sun tinge the tall tops of the forest trees, the
birds rise clumsily on their short legs, and hastily waddle to the water
and plunge into the stream. Lightly they float as they marshal themselves
and extend their lines; and now their broad, paddle-like feet propel them
onwards. In yonder nook the small fry are dancing on the quiet water.
Thousands are there, and the very manner of their mirth making the water
to sparkle, invites their foes to advance. And now the Pelicans at once
spread out their broad wings, press closely forward with powerful strokes
of their feet, drive the little fishes towards the shallow shore, and
then, with their enormous pouches spread like so many bag-nets, scoop them
out and devour them." These birds are altogether diurnal; when gorged,
they retire to the shores of small islands in bays and rivers, or sit on
logs floating in shallow water at a good distance from the beach, in all
which situations they lie or stand close together. The White Pelicans
appear to be almost inactive during the greater part of the day, fishing
only after sunrise, and again an hour before sunset, though at times the
whole flock will mount high in the air, and perform extended gyrations. In
the south of Europe the chase after Pelicans is a favourite sport, and by
the Arabs their flesh is considered not unpalatable.
THE GREAT TUFTED OR DALMATIAN PELICAN.
The GREAT TUFTED or DALMATIAN PELICAN (_Pelecanus crispus_) is white,
slightly tinged with greyish red, except upon the quills, which are black.
In this species, the head-feathers are long and curly, forming a sort of
helmet. The eye is silvery white, beak greyish yellow, bag beneath the
throat blood-red veined with blue, and the foot black. The plumage of the
young is greyish. The length of this bird is sixty-six inches, breadth
one hundred and fourteen inches, the length of wing thirty inches, and
tail eight inches. The habitat of the Great Tufted Pelican extends from
the Black Sea over all the well-watered districts of Central and Southern
Asia; a few penetrate annually into South China and North Africa, but in
both these regions they are comparatively of rare occurrence.
The first example known of this bird was shot in 1828 in Dalmatia by Baron
Fildegg, and it has been since found by Rüppell and Kittlitz in Abyssinia.
"It arrives," says the baron, "in spring and autumn, giving preference to
the neighbourhood of Fort Opus, on the river Naronta, which is bordered
with morasses. It comes through Bosnia, seldom alone, but generally in
flocks. I have seen as many as twelve together hunting for fish. It is
very cunning, and is extremely difficult to shoot."
No particulars are known respecting its habits, nidification, &c., which
are supposed to resemble others of its family.
[Illustration]
THE DIVERS (_Urinatores_).
THE birds belonging to this extensive order are all aquatic, and almost
exclusively subsist on fishes, which they capture by diving. In conformity
with this mode of life, they all present a general type of structure which
is unmistakable. Their bodies are powerfully built, almost cylindrical in
shape, and their legs placed far backwards. Their wings are short, feeble,
and pointed, but little adapted to flight, and in many cases almost
resembling fins, while their dense smooth plumage, which is impenetrable
to water, admirably fits them for a residence in that element. Their beak
is strong, hard, acutely pointed, and generally compressed at the sides;
it is seldom much longer than the head, and its margins are usually sharp
and well adapted for cutting. The foot is furnished either with three
or four toes, of which the three in front are either strongly-webbed or
furnished with lateral expansions of the skin, which render them efficient
instruments of propulsion. The tail is often altogether wanting, or if
present is always short, rounded, and generally formed of more than twelve
feathers. There is much similarity in the coloration of their plumage,
in which black and pure white predominate; in some species, however,
variety of colour is not wanting. Generally speaking, these birds are all
inhabitants of the sea; nevertheless, a few are to be met with only in
inland lakes: some species have a very wide range in a great variety of
climates; but the majority prefer the polar regions of the world, both
north and south, from which, however, some of them migrate at stated
intervals. The greater part of their lives is passed upon the surface of
the water; indeed, it is only during the breeding season that they come
upon dry land. Although many species fly with tolerable facility, in most
instances the wings are too feeble to support the weight of their bodies,
and are principally used almost like fins, to enable them to progress more
rapidly when diving beneath the surface of the water, where they obtain
the fishes and small crustaceans that constitute their usual food. A few
diving birds build their nests solitarily; but by far the greater number
congregate in innumerable hosts, and breed in company with each other upon
rocks and islands that rise abruptly from the sea. The eggs are two in
number.
* * * * *
The GREBES (_Podicipites_) are only to be met with in fresh water, and
accordingly are classed by some naturalists in the immediate vicinity of
the Coots, to which, as far as relates to the structure of their feet,
they certainly bear a considerable resemblance. Their true position,
however, we consider to be undoubtedly among the Divers. Their body is
remarkably broad and squat; their neck long and moderately slender; their
head small and elongated; their beak long, conical, and compressed at
the sides, with incurved, sharp cutting edges, the lower mandible being
slightly overlapped by the upper one. The legs are placed so far backward,
that they seem to be attached quite to the posterior extremity of the
body, and moreover are of very peculiar conformation. The tarsi are of
moderate height, and so much compressed at the sides that the front of
the instep presents a sharp smooth edge. The structure of the foot is
likewise remarkable; of the three front toes, the exterior is as long or
longer than the middle toe, while the inner toe is by far the shortest of
the three; the hinder toe, which is slightly elevated, is a mere rudiment.
The three front toes are connected by a web as far as the first joint,
but beyond this point they are separated, although each is furnished
on both sides with a broad fold of skin, which is not scalloped, but
smoothly rounded off in front, where it is further strengthened by the
broad flattened claws. The wings are small, short, and narrow, the second
and third quills being longer than the rest. The tail is altogether
wanting, its place being occupied by a small bunch of fur-like feathers.
The general plumage is everywhere very thick, and upon the lower part of
the body so smooth and bright as almost to resemble satin, while on the
head, neck, and hinder part of the body it has somewhat the appearance of
hair. When in their nuptial plumage, the head of the adults is adorned
with a remarkable collar or frill, developed from the sides of the face
and neck, or provided with bunches of feathers, generally decorated with
bright colours. Members of this family are to be found in the temperate
zones of both hemispheres, beyond which they do not extend very far either
to the north or south. Their usual habitat is on ponds or large sheets of
stagnant water, and exceptionally on deep, slow-moving streams; but always
where sedges and rushes are abundant. Occasionally, though rarely, they
have been seen upon the sea. "Probably there are no birds," says Naumann,
"better entitled to the name of water-fowl than the Grebes"--at least we
know of no others that do not on some occasions make their appearance on
dry land. It is only, however, under the most urgent circumstances--as,
for example, when wounded--that these approach the shore, and even then
they keep so close to the brink that on the slightest alarm they can at
once plunge into their proper element. It would seem that whatever they do
must be done in the water; they cannot even rise upon the wing without a
preliminary rush over the surface of the lake: from dry land they cannot
commence their flight. Their whole life is divided between swimming and
diving; and even when other water-birds go on shore to sleep, the Grebes
repose floating on their liquid bed. When thus sleeping upon the tranquil
water, they float as buoyantly as if they were made of cork, their legs
raised to the edges of their wings, and their head comfortably buried
among the feathers between their back and shoulder. Should, however, a
storm disturb their rest, and the boisterous elements drive them towards
the shore, they at once turn round to face the blast, and are generally
able, by the active movement of their paddle-like feet, to maintain
themselves in the same place.
The conformation of their bodies, their tapering shape, small heads, sharp
beak, and the very backward position of their feet, enable them to dive
with wonderful facility; in fact, when under water they make their way
more swiftly than even when swimming at the top. A man upon the shore
would find it very difficult to keep pace with a diving Grebe, as, aided
by wings and feet, it shoots onwards with the velocity of a rocket. When
flying, their long neck is stretched out straight forwards and their feet
backwards, while their small wings, by the rapidity of their movements,
carry them very quickly through the air. In the absence of any tail,
they steer their course by means of their feet, and are able not only to
direct but to change the course of their flight with surprising facility;
at the end of their journey they come down obliquely upon the surface of
the water, into which they fall with a very audible splash. When alarmed
they always instantly dive, and nothing but the utmost extremity of
danger will compel them to take wing. The food of these birds consists of
small fishes, insects, frogs, and tadpoles, in search of which they dive
to the very bottom of the pond, but always bring them to the top before
swallowing them. In their manner of breeding, the Grebes are in many
respects peculiar. They live together in pairs, the male and the female
exhibiting the greatest affection towards each other, keeping each other
company even during their migrations, and always returning together to the
same pond. When the time arrives, they construct a floating nest, which,
instead of being built of dry materials, as in the case of other birds, is
merely a mass of wet weeds, in which the eggs are kept not only constantly
damp, but absolutely in the water. The weeds used in building the nest are
procured by diving, from the bottom of the pond; these are put together
in the most slovenly manner, so as to resemble a floating heap of rubbish
rather than a nest, and are then fastened to some old upright reeds. The
number of the eggs varies from three to six; they are of elongated shape,
and at first of a greenish white colour, but they soon become dirty, and
are then of a yellowish red or olive-brown tint, sometimes marbled.
The male and female sit upon the eggs alternately, but the female has
the greater share in the business of incubation, the male often swimming
around the place apparently for the purpose of keeping her company.
Should, however, both be obliged to leave the nest at the same time,
they carefully cover the eggs with a mass of half-rotten water-plants,
brought up from the bottom for the purpose. In about three weeks the young
are hatched, even from eggs which during a great part of the time have
been lying in the water. From the first moment they are able to swim,
and in the course of a few days to dive; they are, however, constantly
accompanied by their parents, who often give them shelter under their
wings. Having once quitted the nest, the young ones seldom return to it, a
comfortable resting and sleeping place being afforded to them on the backs
of their parents.
THE CRESTED GREBE.
The CRESTED GREBE (_Podiceps cristatus_), the stateliest member of the
family, is a bird of considerable size, measuring from twenty-five to
twenty-six inches in length, and from thirty-six to thirty-seven in
breadth. The length of the wing is seven inches. During the time of its
courtship this bird is furnished with a very remarkable head-dress,
consisting of a large bunch of long feathers, divided above into two
horn-like appendages, and also with a prominent collar or frill of
hair-like plumes, on each side of the upper extremity of the neck
and sides of the head. The upper parts of its body are of a shining
blackish brown, a bright patch on each wing; the region of the cheeks
and the throat are white; the collar around the neck rust-red, with a
blackish brown margin. The under part of the body is of a glossy satiny
white, speckled upon the sides with rusty red and dark grey. The eye is
carmine-red, the bridles red, the beak pale red; the outer aspect of the
tarsus is dark horn-colour, and the inner side yellowish grey. In its
winter garb, the tufts upon the head and the collar are not developed, the
brown upon the upper part of the body is mingled with deep grey, and the
rust-red of the collar as well as the rust-brown of the sides is duller.
The female is distinguishable from the male by her smaller size, but not
by any difference in her colour. The young birds are less beautiful than
are the adults in their winter dress, and are striped about the head and
neck. The nestlings are at first clothed in greyish brown, streaked with
black.
The Crested Grebe is to be met with wherever suitable pieces of water
exist over all parts of Europe south of 60° north latitude. It is by no
means scarce in Germany, and is still more abundant in lakes further
to the south. In England it is principally met with in Shropshire and
Lincolnshire, and is reckoned as a stationary bird even in Zetland. In the
northern countries it makes its appearance early in the spring, generally
in April, or shortly after the melting of the snow, and remains until
October or November, when it retreats to Southern Europe and Northern
Africa. In Greece and Spain it remains all through the winter; indeed,
the numbers to be met with in those countries are considerably augmented
by arrivals from localities further north. In North-western Africa it
likewise makes its appearance at regular intervals, but in Egypt only a
few solitary birds are to be met with. In Central and Northern Asia it is
quite as common as it is in Europe, and there its range seems to extend
from Siberia to Southern China and Japan. It is likewise abundant in
North America, extending from the north of that continent to the southern
provinces of the United States. In early spring these birds always make
their appearance in pairs, but towards the autumn large parties of them
may be seen together, consisting of fifty or sixty individuals, who keep
company with each other during their migration southwards. In their
migrations it is generally understood that these birds only travel by
night, and that wherever large lakes or rivers are to be found, as also
along the sea-coast, they make their way principally by swimming. During
the summer season the Crested Grebe takes up its abode on extensive lakes,
where reeds and other water-plants are abundant. Their powers of swimming
and diving are quite wonderful. According to Naumann's observations,
this Grebe will dive in the course of half a minute to a distance of two
hundred feet. Its flight, too, when it thinks proper to take wing, is
tolerably swift; it always proceeds in a straight line, and the whirring
noise made by the rapid motion of its wings is audible at some distance.
In its behaviour it seems to be the most circumspect and the shyest
member of the family, and is not easily approached, more especially as
it generally keeps in open water, where it can see to a distance. If
surprised when in the vicinity of a bed of reeds, it immediately takes
refuge among them, but only so long as to enable it again to plunge into
deep water; if pursued it immediately dives, and when it comes up again to
breathe, allows only its beak to appear above the surface, and as soon as
it has taken breath dives again, until it has placed itself quite beyond
the reach of danger.