NORTH AMERICAN MARSH BIRDS 11 



honk, honk, honk, even more gooselike in tone than the first call mentioned, a 

 henlike, drawled cah-cah-cah-cah, and a broken cut-leek. 



That the flamingo can run well on its long legs, when wounded or 

 when molting and unable to fly, is well illustrated by the following 

 instance noted by Mr. Gilford (1913): 



Where the ground is clear, and the bird's movements are unimpeded by rocks 

 and bushes, the flamingo is a good runner, being able to cover ground very 

 rapidly, and giving a person a lively chase. At James Bay, James Island, a 

 young bird not quite able to fly got through the bushes fi'om the lagoon to the 

 ocean beach. I pursued it for nearly half a mile south along the beach late one 

 afternoon. I was, however, unable to overtake it before it reached the rocks at 

 the end of the beach. Perceiving that it would be caught if it remained on the 

 beach, the bird stepped into the water and struck boldly out from shore, swim- 

 ming over an eighth of a mile. As soon as I left the beach, it returned and 

 commenced walking up and down again in the attempt to find its way back to 

 the lagoon. The following morning it had disappeared. 



At a lagoon 4 or 5 miles northwest of Sullivan Bay, James Island, on July 28, 

 an adult bird was found without flight feathers. New ones were just appearing, 

 which were very tender, bleeding profusely when bruised. This bird was a fast 

 runner, racing up and down the smooth beach of the lagoon, until finally it was 

 chased into a cul-de-sac. It tried to escape through the brush, but of course 

 tripped and fell, bruising its wings, feet, and bill. It realized its inability to fly, 

 for it did not make any attempt to use its wings until the very last. 



D. P. Ingram (1S94) relates the following incident, which shows 

 that the flamingo is also a good swimmer: 



A flock of American flamingos came flying down about parallel with the coast, 

 and about 100 yards out over the water. When nearly opposite I selected my 

 bird and gave him one barrel, which brought him down at once. I immediately 

 selected my next bird and gave him the other barrel. The game was a long dis- 

 tance off at the first and had turned their course somewhat and were still further 

 off at the second shot. I saw that my bird was hit but did not at once come 

 down, but left the fl.ock and turned his course at about right angles, directly out 

 over the ocean, gradually lowering, and after flying about half a mile it struck 

 the water. One of my men, who was a very expert sculler and who was on my 

 large boat, which lay at anchor out about 200 yards distant, at once took his 

 small boat and started for my prize, expecting to go and pick it up as it was 

 down in the water. He soon saw that the bird was making about as good head- 

 way out in the ocean as he was, when he doubled his energy. When he had 

 approached within about 50 yards of the bird it arose and flew, this time going 

 about the same distance that it did the first time, before it was again compelled 

 to take to the water. He then gave up the chase, being fully a mile and a half 

 from shore, the bird having made almost two-thirds as good time as he could in 

 sculling his boat. When the bird raised to fly he was somewhere in from 30 to 

 50 fathoms of water. 



Enemies. — Aside from man flamingos have few enemies. There 

 are very few predacious animals or birds, in the regions they inhabit, 

 which are large enough to prey on the adults; and the adults, though 

 gentle and practically defenseless, are generally wary enough to escape 

 even from man. Young birds and eggs are often destroyed by turkey 



