262 I N A G U A 



centurv or two, as I believe they will be, their line will depart 

 in a blaze of glory. 



It is not sufficient that nature has created in the flamingo 

 one of the most beautiful birds of the earth; she has made it 

 also a paradox. Where most birds feed with bills extended 

 forward, reaching toward their prey, the flamingo does ex- 

 actly the opposite. Its bill is a remarkable adaptation for feed- 

 ing on ceritheum snails and is bent backwards at an obtuse 

 angle. This peculiarity gives them an exaggerated aristocratic 

 appearance reminding one of the cartoons picturing middle- 

 aged Englishmen of the nobility; camels have a similar ex- 

 pression. The feeding is accomplished by swinging the head 

 in a series of arcs while walking slowly along and scooping 

 up the shells on the backward stroke. The edge of the bill 

 is equipped with a comb or screen which separates the shells 

 from the mud, permitting the excess water and silt to escape. 

 Equally odd is the fact that these ceritheum snails are exceed- 

 ingly small, the palm of the hand will comfortably hold several 

 hundred; I have seen birds one tenth the size of flamingos de- 

 vour prey many times as large; only the astronomical numbers 

 of ceritheum make it possible for the flamingos to exist on 

 such microscopic diet. 



In reality flamingos are perfectly fashioned for the life they 

 pursue. Their long legs are ideal organs for wading endless 

 hours in the lakes and ponds; their equally lengthy necks are 

 the result of the legs; the height of one is compensated by 

 the lowering ability of the other. By pedal elevation and oral 

 depression they are able to exist dry and comfortable in a 

 world of splashing liquid; by any other arrangement of anat- 

 omy their niche in life would be much more difficult. 



Discouraged, I climbed the only tree on my islet, a gnarled 

 and twisted specimen that leaned toward the west, and scanned 

 the horizon with the binoculars. Rotating slowly, I carefully 



