Everyone knows the flag of the United States. Each state also has its own flag. Louisiana has had many different flags over the years because of its special history.
Louisiana's flag today:
The pelican has been a symbol of Louisiana since the 1800's and, in fact, one of the state's nicknames is "The Pelican State". Early settlers in the area found pelicans to be generous and nurturing birds and it was believed that, when food was scarce, pelicans would tear at their breasts with their beak to feed some of their blood to their young.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xczqhl_alfred-de-musset-le-pelican_webcam
Such a beautiful French poem...after 30 seconds of advertisement.
I'm certain that we will see pelicans when we are there. But will they be in "New Or-linz"? New Orleans Pelicans is the name of the basketball team!
Jane
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nickname = a usually descriptive name given instead of the one belonging to a person, place or thing. New York's nickname is "The Big Apple".
settlers = the first Europeans to arrive and to establish their homes in this new land
scarce = difficult to find because there is very little of something
tear = a verb here, prononuced like "hair", here it means "to lacerate"
beak = le bec
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