180 



BAHAMA BIRD-LIFE 



After watching a nesting- colonj^ of Flamingos in the 

 Bahamas for ''nearly an hour", at a distance of one hun- 

 dred and fifty yards, Sir Henry Blake stated that the 

 females sat upon the nests while the males stood up 

 together, evidently near by. ]\Iy dissections, however, 

 showed that both sexes incubate, while continued observa- 

 tion from the tent revealed the presence of only one bird of 



The Blind in the UonkiTy 



the pair in the rookery at the same time. The bird on the 

 nest was relieved late in the afternoon and early in the 

 morning. The one, therefore, which incubated during the 

 day, fed at night, and his or her place was taken by another 

 which had been feeding during the day. Or as Peter put it : 

 ''I do t'ink, sir, dat when de lady Fillymingo leave de nest, 

 den de gen'leman Fillymingo take her place, sir; yes, sir." 

 Morning and evening, then, there was much activity in 



