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Show 1869.] MR. D. G. ELLIOT ON THE GENUS PELECANUS. 579 attempted. But one species of Pelican seems to have been known to Linnaeus (the common P. onocrotalus of Europe) at the date of the tenth edition of his ' Systema Avium,' although two years later Brisson enumerates four. The various genera instituted by Reichenbach, as above quoted, do not seem to be founded upon sufficient reasons, the characters selected appertaining more to specific than generic distinctions. PELECANUS ONOCROTALUS. Pelecanus onocrotalus, Linn. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 132 (1758); Naum. Vog. Deutschl. t. 282. 1 (ad.), 2 (juv.); Bonnat. Encycl. Method. Ornith. (1790) p. 42; Lath. Syn. vol. iii. p. 578. sp. 1 ; id. Ind. Orn. ii. p. 882. sp. 1 ; Steph. Gen. Zool. xiii. p. 109, t. 12; Brehm, Vog. Deutsch. p. 824, t. 40. fig. 1 ; Roux, Orn. Prov. t. 342 (juv.); Reich. Syst. Av. pl. 36. figs. 376, 377; Gray, Gen. of Birds, iii. p. 66J„sp.l; Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. pt. 2 (1788), p. 569 ; Bree, Birds of Eur. vol. iv. p. 174; Temm. Man. d'Ornith. ii. p. 891; Jerd. B. of India, vol. iii. p. 854 ; Brandt, Icon. Animal. Rossic. Nov. (1836) p. 44. sp. 1; Schleg. Mus. Pays-Bas, 4me livr. p. 30; Sclat. P. Z. S. (1868) p. 264; Licht. Abhandl. Akad. Wiss. Berl. (1838) p. 436, t. 3. fig. 1; Donnd. Zool. Beitr. vol. ii. pt. 1, 844; Gould, B. of Eur. vol. v. pl. 405 ? Le Pelican, Buff. Plan. Enlum. 87, p. 169, torn. ix. Pelecanus roseus, Eversm. in Script. Liter. Imp. Universit. Casa-nien. (1835) fascic. ii. p. 369. Onocrotalus albus, Brisson, Ornith. (1760) p. 519, torn. vi. Pelecanus javanicus, Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. -\siat. Soc. Beng. p. 297. n. 1740. Occiput with a rather elongated crest during tbe breeding-season. Bare space around the eye diamond-shape behind, and reaching to the base of the upper mandible. Gular pouch extending for about six inches down the throat. Feathers of head form a distinct point upon the forehead. Upper mandible reddish at the base, becoming yellowish at the tip, with a line of crimson along the culmen ; under mandible pale red. Pouch and bare space about the eye flesh-colour. Primaries and spurious wing black. Occipital crest and the elongated feathers at the lower part of the neck in front light yellow. Rest of plumage white, tinged with rose-colour. Tarsi flesh-colour. Tail of eighteen feathers. Length about 5 feet, wing 26 inches, tarsus 4\ inches, upper mandible 16 inches. Hab. Europe and northern part of Africa. Common in Hungary, Crimea, Egypt, and Ionian Islands. Accidental in France and Algeria. In West Africa, at Senegambia and Mozambique*. Also in Abyssinia. The young during the first year are uniform greyish brown, the lanceolate feathers of the breast being entirely wanting. The perfect plumage is not acquired for some years; and the depth of the rosy tint is increased at the breeding-season. * Ornithologie Westafrikas, p. 259 (Hartl.). PROC. ZOOL. Soc-1869, No. XXXVIII. |
