PONDS, PADDOCKS, AND AVIARIES 53 



The seeds of various coniferous trees, especially those of 

 Pinus cemb)-a, are the favourite food of the nutcracker. 



" The farthest division of the aviary, divided into three 

 compartments, I have devoted principally to aquatic birds, 

 amongst which a small group of flamingoes are perhaps 

 the most remarkable, not only from the beautiful roseate 

 colour of the upper parts of their wings, and their 

 extravagantly long necks and legs, but also from the 

 extraordinary and apparently unnatural positions that they 

 constantly assume. On one occasion a damsel who visited 

 the flamingoes with a large party, on seeing these birds, 

 was heard to exclaim to her mother : ' Oh ! Ma, do just 

 look at these great geese ; wouldn't they just make fine 

 giblets .' ' We have never put the necks of these birds 

 to culinary use, but the flesh of their bodies is tolerably 

 good eating, and there is a tradition to the eff^ect that 

 their tongues were considered as great delicacies by the 

 epicures of old Rome. I have seen many acres of marsh 

 thickly covered by flamingoes in Southern Spain, and the 

 efl^ect of the rising or setting sun upon a dense flock of 

 these birds on wing is indescribably beautiful, giving at a 

 distance the efi^ect of a floating roseate cloud. 



"A pink-headed duck from India, in this part of the 

 aviary, is one of the rarest birds in my collection ; 

 during my forty years of live bird collecting I have 

 only obtained three of this species. The present survivor 

 is a female, and by no means a handsome or conspicuous 

 bird. A small flock of marbled ducks from Spain are 



