4 BULLETIN 136, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



either side, or often from three pits, and it is the joining of these pits that causes 

 the nests to be surrounded with water. None of the nests are constructed quite 

 to the margin of the peninsula, thus a dike nearly surrounds the rookery. I say 

 nearly, for this was broken through on the southern end, and the water from the 

 creeks flowed in, thus the slight inland tide rose and fell among the nests. 



The nests were, as a rule, not over 2 feet apart, measuring from their base, but 

 they were generally constructed in groups of from three to seven or eight, each 

 one being joined to one or two of the others at the base, oftentimes for a foot or 

 more. This rookery had evidently been used for at least one year previous to 

 this, as we saw many nests, especially the higher ones, which had to all appear- 

 ances been constructed on top of an old foundation. New nests built throughout 

 of soft marl were, on the average, only a foot high, and were built in a certain 

 part of the rookery. All of the nests in the older part of the rookery contained 

 eggs, as a rule only one being deposited, and this was placed on the slightly cup- 

 shaped top of the truncated pyramid. Incubation had begun, and in nearly all 

 the eggs the embryos were considerably advanced. Thus we could judge that 

 the birds had laid all the eggs that they would that season. We estimated that 

 there were in the neighborhood of 2,000 nests, and in all of these we found only 

 some 50 sets of 2 eggs, and three in one case only. 



For most of our information about the nesting habits of the fla- 

 mingo we are indebted to Dr. Frank M. Chapman and I shall quote 

 freely from his various papers on the subject, based on his explora- 

 tions in the Bahama Islands. As to the localities selected for nesting 

 sites he (1902) says: 



Exploration of the surrounding country showed that it was regularly frequented 

 by flamingos in numbers during the nesting season. Within a radius of a mile no 

 less than eight groups of nests were discovered. They showed successive stages 

 of decay, from the old nests, which had almost disappeared before the action 

 of the elements, to those which were in an excellent state of preservation and were 

 doubtless occupied the preceding year. Some were placed among young, others 

 among fully grown mangroves, and one colony, probably inhabited in 1900, was 

 situated on a sand bar 200 yards from the nearest vegetation. All the colonies 

 found contained at least several hundred nests, and the one on the sand bar, by 

 actual count of a measured section, was composed of 2,000 mud dwellings. What 

 an amazing sight this settlement must have presented when occupied, with the 

 stately males, as is their habit, standing on guard near their sitting mates. 



In the above named localities the birds were not on their nests at 

 the time of his visit, but on June 7, 1904, he again visited the same 

 locality with marked success. In describing his approach to the rook- 

 ery he (1908) writes: 



All day we had been following broad, shallow creeks, which, meeting othei 

 creeks widened at intervals into lagoons, while, on every side, the country spread 

 away into the low, flat swash, neither land nor water and wholly worthless for 

 everything — except flamingos. 



At last his guide pointed across the swash to a thin pink line, dis- 

 tant at least a mile, but showing plainly against the green of the 

 mangroves. 



At a distance of about 300 yards, the wind being from us, toward the birds, 

 we first heard their honking notes of alarm, which increased to a wave of deep 



