2 BULLETIN 135, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



The flamingo is no longer to be found, except possibly as a rare 

 straggler, on the North American Continent, but in Audubon's time 

 it was fairly abundant in extreme southern Florida. Even in those 

 days it was relentlessly pursued and was becoming quite shy. Gusta- 

 vus Wurdemann (1S61), in a letter written to the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion in 1857, wrote: 



The flamingo is known to but a very few inhabitants of this state, because it 

 is confined to the immediate neighborhood of the most southern portion of the 

 peninsula, Cape Sable, and the keys in its vicinity. It was seen by the first set- 

 tlers at Indian River, but abandoned these regions immediately, and never re- 

 turned thither after having been fired upon. 



In the same letter he refers to a flock of 500 flamingos seen near 

 Indian Key, in the Bay of Florida, and graphically describes his 

 experiences in chasing and capturing, with a native hunter, some 

 hundred or so of these beautiful birds, which were molting and una- 

 ble to fly. 



Evidently this flock of flamingos, or its descendants, was able to 

 survive in this remote and inaccessible portion of Florida long after 

 the species had disappeared from other sections. It was supposed 

 to breed somewhere in that vicinity, but the breeding grounds were 

 never found. W. E. D. Scott (1887) reported that the last birds 

 were killed in Tampa Bay in 1885 and that they disappeared from 

 Cape Romano and all points north of that at about that time. But 

 in February, 1890, he found a large flock frequenting a bay 18 miles 

 east of Cape Sable, about which he (1890) writes as follows: 



It was some 9 or 10 miles from our anchorage to the mouth of the first of the 

 three bays I have mentioned — a long way to go in a skiff. But both of our boats 

 were soon manned and we began the details of the exploration. Rounding the 

 point opening the first or more westerly of the bays, we found that it was about 

 a mile and a half in width and some 3 miles deep into the land, with a decided 

 bend to the west. No birds were to be seen till this bend was in turn opened, 

 and there, still a mile or more away, was presented a truly wonderful sight. 

 Stretched out for fully three-quarters of a mile, and about 300 yards from the 

 mainland shore, was a band of ros}', firehke color. This band was unbroken, and 

 seemed to be very even, though curving with the contour of the shore. Now 

 and again a flame or series of flames seemed to shoot up above the level of the 

 line. This proved when examined through the glass to be caused by one or more 

 birds raising their heads to look about or to rest themselves, for when first 

 noticed all were feeding, with their heads most of the time buried in the shallow 

 water, searching the mud for the small shellfish which appear to be the favorite 

 food at this point. 



Presently some of the birds saw the boats, and the alarm was given. Slowly 

 the line began to contract toward the center, and the birds were soon in a com- 

 pact body, appearing now like a large field of red upon the water, and the resem- 

 blance to flames was much increased by the constant movements of the heads 

 and necks of the different individuals. In a few moments they began to rise and 

 soon they were all in full flight, passing out of the bay and over the point of land 

 to the east in long lines and in V-shaped parties, recalling to mind the flight 



