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Show ' How the Pelican Feeds. Charles F. Holder, tho naturalist, do-1 scribing a pet pelican which ha formerly form-erly owned In Florida, says: "I cannot can-not recall that tho pelican over re-1 fused food. After tho most Impossible feeding It bad the snmo dejected, bair-stiirved attitude and tho sumo asthmatic, cry for more. It was only aftor many months that I discovered that tho pellcitti can never be satisfied." satis-fied." IIo thus describes the flshlnK exploits of th oho titrda: "In foodlntt they generally Hew twenty to thirty foot ahove the water with rapid motion mo-tion of tho powerful wines, holding tho head slli'htly upon one sldo that they might oliaervo tho schools of sur-dlnos. sur-dlnos. When tho Intter wero sighted thoy would plungo blindly downward, opening the mouth widely Just before they resrh the water, endeavoring In this clumsy mnnner to catch the fish, which, not being ablo to soe upward, woro entirely Ignorant of the nesrness of danger. Rising after tho plungo the pelican Invariably wags Ills dltr nu-tlvo nu-tlvo tall a self-congratulatory'1 i fl which confirms tho bird's stupidity, for J tho chances are one lo five that It has cautht nothing. Tho bills are held upwsrd, the water allowed lo run out of the cnorn-.ous pouih. and then it any fame has been caught tho pelican toiM Its beak upwuid, which throws the fl.h forwnid or touurd tho point of tto benk. whero It t often held a ' few seconds, from hers being droppoil. ns II weio, into the tlmiat, which Is a very small orli.rs In a vcrliublo waste ot pouch. At tills nioment, perhaps, a lnui.fetng gull rohs th i pelican. Hi.nin-tliuot Hi.nin-tliuot it alights on Its back, nraln en Ita hnr), and Ihn stupid bird mnlies no mlstnnce. tho gull often uttering Us victorious 'ha ha!' In advance. Just as thi fish la thrown to tho tip of the hesk ind protrudes from the sldo the laur.nlng gull leans forward, snatches It and rises aloft to. In turn, be followed fol-lowed by tho swift man-of-war bird. In Hill Implo way a p.dlcan will be robbed by succeaslve birds snd will pwjw but a atmiM percentage of iiuvtt ea'ches, which oonlbly explains ex-plains why II Is always hungry." |