File:Birds and nature (1901) (14569030968).jpg

Identifier: birdsnature91901chic (find matches)
Title: Birds and nature
Year: 1900 (1900s)
Authors:
Subjects: Birds Natural history
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : A.W. Mumford, Publisher
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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o-pean form, called Ornacrotalus. The mostmarked difference that he noticed was thecrest upon the upper mandible which hesupposed was permanent *rH not, as wenow know, a characteristic of tins speciesonly during the breeding season. In writ-ing of the naming of this species he usesthe following beautiful language: Inconsequence of this discovery, I havehonored it with the name of my belovedcountry, over the mighty streams ofwhich may this splendid bird wander freeand unmolested to the most distant times,as it has already done in the misty ages ofunknown antiquity. Much as we desire to honor Audubon,who has given us so much of interest con-cerning the life histories of the birds, yetwe are restrained by the rules of scientificnaming, which require under ordinarycircumstances, the use of the earliestname. Audubons name was antedatedby that of Gmelin, a German Naturalist,who in 1788 noticing the peculiar charac-teristics of the American White Pelicanand that it differed from the European
Text Appearing After Image:
FROM COL. CHI. ACAD. SCIENCES. 395 AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN. (Pelecanus erytlirorhynchos.) Abov.t \ 5 Life-size. COPYRIGHT 1901, BYA. W. MUMFORD, CHICAGO. CHICAGO C0L0RTYPE I form, gave it the name erythrorhynchos,which is now used by ornithologists. Thisname has its origin in two Greek words,meaning red and bill. The peculiar growth or crest on the billwhich disappears soon after the breedingseason, varies greatly both in size andshape. Dr. Ridgway says: Frequentlyit consists of a single piece, nearly as highas long, its vertical outlines almost par-allel, and the upper outline quite regular-ly convex, the largest specimen seen be-ing about three inches high, by as manyin length. More frequently, however, itis very irregular in shape, usually less ele-vated, and not infrequently with raggedanterior, or even posterior continuations.At this time the bill is also more or lessorange-red in color. An excellent narrative of the habits ofthe White Pelican is given in the Orni-thology of Illin

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