If the young Pelican’s home is on the ground, at this age he waddles about playing by himself or fighting all comers. He dabbles in the shallow water, filling his pouch with mud and water, bits of sticks, shells, and weeds; then dropping the point of his bill downward so that the mud and water ooze out, he carefully examines the remainder, piece by piece, as if to see whether it is palatable. Even when alone he sometimes loses his temper. I saw one evidently much annoyed by the appearance of a displaced feather in his wing, and in a vain effort to catch it he whirled about like a kitten chasing its own tail. But the fast-growing wing plumes soon seem to be a source of inspiration, rather than of annoyance. The young Pelicans feel a new and strange power coming to them, and they stand in the nest and aimlessly wave their now nearly grown wings, until some day an impulse prompts them to spring into the air.^{110} The immediate result is a humiliating tumble, for Pelicans, unlike smaller birds, must learn to fly. Once on the ground he has a safer place to practice, and with a hop, skip, and a flap, he makes brave efforts to mount skyward. Finally he succeeds, and the awkward nestling becomes a creature of power and grace, sailing away on broad pinions to join its elders. With this wonderful gift of flight comes a complete change in the Pelican’s character and behavior. From a noisy, quarrelsome fledgeling, whose days were passed in screaming and squabbling, he is transformed into a dignified, patriarchal-like bird so absolutely voiceless that I have never heard a wild Pelican utter a sound, nor do I know of any one who has; while in disposition he has become so peaceful that under the strongest provocation he shows no desire to protest. Just what has influenced him—who can say? It is one of Nature’s mysteries. But let us hope that the same charm may be exerted on every noisy, quarrelsome creature. INDEX Audubon, J. J., 155. Auk, Razorbilled, on Bird Rock, 167, 169; tameness of, 170; nesting of, 176; young of, 176. The, 154. Bayberries, 26. Bird-Lore, 9. Bird photography, definition of, 1; scientific value of, 1, 34; charm of, 3, 39; outfit for, 6; methods of, 26. Bird Rock, 130, 150, 152. Birds, adult, photographing, 33. Young, photographing, 32; return of, to nesting ground, 192. Bittern, American, 29, 70. Least, haunts of, 62; mode of progression of, 62; notes of, 63, 72; nest of, 65; protective mimicry of, 67; courage of, 68; eggs of, destroyed by Marsh Wren, 72; intelligence of, 75; eating eggs, 75. Blackbird, Red-winged, 26, 69, 70, 94, 194. Blinds, 23. Bobolink, 95, 100, 194. Bonaventure Island, 130, 138, 139, 141. Bourque, Captain Peter, 164. Brewster, William, 63, 103, 133, 160. Bryant, Dr. Henry, 159. Bryon Island, 152, 162. Bulb, 21, 22. Canadian Government, 189.